United CEO Scott Kirby was in Newark Liberty International Airport on Sept. 16 to celebrate the airline’s operational turnaround at the airport and discuss the future for the carrier’s premier East Coast hub.
United noted its best operational summer ever at Newark Liberty, putting the airport on par with John F. Kennedy International and LaGuardia airports for on-time performance.Â
The news comes as more than 6 million people flew United on-time through Newark this summer, the most in the airline’s history. Â
Looking ahead to this fall and winter, United plans to serve more than 160 domestic and international destinations from Newark Liberty adding flights to popular cities like Rome, Venice, Porto, Marrakesh and Dublin. Domestically, the airline will add flights to Orlando and Fort Lauderdale and new cities including Palm Springs, Calif.; Columbia, S.C.; and Chattanooga, Tenn.
Additionally, United expects to hire more than 2,500 Newark employees between 2025-2026 and will purchase sustainable aviation fuel for use at Newark. United employs more than 14,000 people in the Newark/New York City area, including more than 3,000 pilots at its pilot base and more than 5,700 flight attendants.
“Newark is operating better than ever and United’s future here is bright – that’s a credit to the thousands of Newark employees who deliver for our customers and one another every day,” said Kirby.
“I want to also thank Secretary Duffy, FAA Administrator Bedford, Governor Murphy and all the national, state and local leaders who helped ensure that Newark remains a safe and reliable crown jewel for millions of domestic and international travelers. As the FAA and DOT implement their plan of increased staffing and improved technology, the reliability and on-time performance of Newark will only get better.”
In April and May, problems such as insufficient air traffic control staffing, technology outages, and runway construction led to delays and cancellations out of Newark. But since then, bookings and customer confidence in flying through Newark have bounced back because of efforts by federal officials, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, and United employees.
FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford said, “We’re building a brand new air traffic control system, and we started by addressing the challenges of outdated technology at Newark. This summer, the FAA took immediate action to relieve substantial inconveniences to the traveling public — deploying a temporary satellite backup system, upgrading fiber-optic technology, expanding high-bandwidth telecommunications, increasing controller staffing, and limiting arrivals and departures. Through strong partnerships with the Port Authority and United, we made significant progress this summer.”
Among the key points regarding United at Newark Airport are:Â
- This summer, Newark Airport had more international departures (over 20,000) and more departures to Europe (more than 8,200) than any other United hub.
- All of United’s 32 European destinations were served from Newark Airport this summer.
- In 2025, United serves 82 international destinations from Newark Airport.
- Newark Airport serves the most international destinations unique to United (seven) of any hub
- By the end of 2025, United will have grown its international network in Newark Airport by 12 destinations since 2018, including the six additions this year
- Newark Airport has more widebody departures than any other United hub
