United Airlines is celebrating what it calls its “best operational summer ever” at Newark Liberty International Airport, claiming the long-troubled hub is now on par with JFK and LaGuardia for on-time performance.
At an event Tuesday, United CEO Scott Kirby pointed to more than six million passengers who arrived on time this summer through Newark, the most in the carrier’s history. He credited federal officials, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, and United employees for improvements, citing early completion of runway construction, FAA staffing boosts and technology upgrades.
“Newark is operating better than ever and United’s future here is bright,” Kirby said in a statement, adding that the reliability “will only get better” as the FAA and Department of Transportation roll out further reforms.
United also outlined plans to expand its footprint at the airport. This fall and winter, the carrier intends to serve more than 160 destinations from Newark—more than any other airline in the New York area—including new service to Rome, Venice, Porto, Marrakesh and Dublin. Domestically, the airline will add flights to Orlando, Fort Lauderdale, Palm Springs, CA; Columbia, SC; and Chattanooga, TN.
The airline said it expects to hire more than 2,500 Newark employees by the end of 2026 and will become the first carrier to purchase sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) for use at the airport.
Gov. Phil Murphy called United’s investment “a significant economic driver,” while FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford said upgrades to outdated systems—including new fiber-optic networks and controller staffing—helped stabilize operations.
A Record of Fits and Starts
The upbeat tone comes after a turbulent spring and early summer, when Newark was beset by delays and cancellations tied to air traffic control staffing shortages, technology failures and runway construction. The FAA responded by capping Newark operations at 68 flights per hour in May, later adjusted to 72 through at least summer 2026—still well below the 86 flights United previously attempted to schedule.
United has often promoted Newark as its premier East Coast hub, only for disruptions to undermine that message. In April and May, thousands of travelers faced cascading delays, and the airport has long been criticized for congestion and reliability issues.
The airline insists this time is different, pointing to new infrastructure, staffing and technology. But with limits on growth still in place and the busy holiday travel season approaching, travelers may be justified in taking United’s optimism with a grain of salt.
For more information, visit www.united.com.
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