United CEO Scott Kirby was in Newark (EWR) to celebrate the airline’s operational turnaround at EWR and discuss the bright future for the carrier’s premier East Coast hub.
This summer, United celebrated its best operational summer ever at EWR, putting the airport on par with JFK and LGA for on-time performance. In fact, United flights out of Newark arrived on-time more often this summer than flights operated by airlines out of JFK or LGA.*
These rankings come as more than six million people flew United on-time through Newark this summer, the most in the airline’s history.** In addition, United’s Connection Saver technology helped more than 28,000 customers make tight connections in Newark this summer.
Looking ahead to this fall and winter, United plans to serve more than 160 domestic and international destinations from EWR – more than any other airline in the New York City area – 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, California; Columbia, South Carolina; and Chattanooga, Tennessee.
Additionally, United expects to hire more than 2,500 Newark employees between 2025-2026 and will be the first airline to purchase sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) for use at Newark.
“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.”
“Millions of passengers each year rely on Newark Airport for their travel needs. Over the past several months, we have worked diligently with our partners at the Port Authority and the FAA to move towards a return to full capacity at Newark Airport, and I am pleased with our progress,” said New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy. “United’s continued investment in Newark Airport will serve as a significant economic driver for our region, creating thousands of new jobs for New Jersey communities. I thank United CEO Scott Kirby for his partnership in supporting our region’s world-class transportation infrastructure.”
In April and May, challenges associated with air traffic control staffing, technology outages and runway construction led to a concentrated number of delays and cancelations out of Newark. But since that time, bookings and customer confidence in flying through Newark have bounced back thanks to efforts by federal officials, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey and United employees, including:
- Runway construction was completed two weeks early on June 2
- Beginning in May, the FAA limited Newark flight operations to 68 per hour. This was down from a high of 86, a number that was well above EWR’s maximum theoretical capacity even in ideal operating conditions. The FAA has tentatively limited flights out of Newark to 72 per hour through summer 2026.
- In July, the FAA installed a new fiber optic network to support the air traffic control system
“We’re building a brand new air traffic control system, and we started by addressing the challenges of outdated technology at Newark,” said FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford. “This summer, the FAA took immediate action to relieve substantial inconveniences to the traveling public—deploying a temporary satellite backup system, upgrading fiberoptic 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.”
United Invests More in Newark Destinations
As the gateway to the Atlantic, Newark plays a critical role in connecting passengers to United’s industry-leading international network.
United’s most talked about 2025 destination, Nuuk, Greenland, will return to Newark for summer 2026 following a successful and enthusiastic first season.
- This summer, EWR had more international departures (over 20,000) and more departures to Europe (more than 8,200) than any other United hub
- This summer, all of United’s 32 European destinations were served from EWR
- In 2025, United serves 82 international destinations from EWR
- EWR 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 EWR by 12 destinations since 2018, including the six additions this year
- EWR has more widebody departures than any other United hub
United Hiring in Newark
United proudly 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.
United looks to hire another 2,500 employees before the end of 2026.
Sustainable Aviation Fuel Comes to Newark
United will be the first airline to bring sustainable aviation fuel to Newark, with plans to purchase up to one million gallons from Neste for use at EWR this year. United purchased more than 13 million gallons of SAF in 2024, more than any other U.S. airline.
*According to A:14 on-time performance data for arrivals and departures for United and the cumulative DOT reporting carriers at JFK and LGA from masFlight for June 2 – August 31, 2025.
**Based on Jun-Aug periods since 2011 (post-merger years)
