United Makes Newark Top Transatlantic Hub
United Airlines is adding four new European destinations from its Newark hub for summer 2026: Split, Bari, Glasgow, and Santiago de Compostela. This expansion cements Newark's status as the premier U.S. transatlantic hub. The airport now surpasses New York's JFK for the most direct routes to Europe.
- The new seasonal flights will be operated by Boeing 767-300ER aircraft for Split and Bari, and Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft for Glasgow and Santiago de Compostela. United will be the only U.S. airline providing nonstop service on these four new routes. - This expansion brings the total number of European destinations served by United from Newark to 46 for the summer 2026 season. The airline plans to operate around 300 weekly departures to Europe from Newark during the peak season. - While adding these new leisure-focused destinations, United has trimmed some services to traditional European business hubs from Newark for 2026, reducing flight frequencies to cities like Brussels, Edinburgh, and Frankfurt. - The growth at Newark is part of a multi-year transatlantic expansion for United, which saw the airline's network become over 25% larger than it was in 2019. - United's dominance is a key factor in Newark's transatlantic growth, with the airline operating over 60% of all one-way departures to Europe from the airport in 2026. Star Alliance partners like Lufthansa, SWISS, and TAP Air Portugal also contribute significantly to the airport's European connections. - This expansion coincides with major infrastructure investments at Newark Liberty International Airport by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. This includes the recently completed $2.7 billion Terminal A, a planned redevelopment of Terminal B, and a new $3.5 billion AirTrain system expected to be operational in 2030.
