In a move that has aviation circles buzzing, United Airlines announced its biggest international expansion ever, with eight new international cities added for 2025. The new routes span multiple continents and include destinations that are especially difficult to access, such as Senegal, Greenland, Taiwan, and Mongolia.
“It’s the largest international expansion in United history,” said Patrick Quayle, United’s senior vice president of global network planning and alliances, on a conference call with media prior to the announcement.
Here’s what passengers need to know about United’s expansion plans for 2025.
United’s new destinations for 2025
In recent years, airlines have tended to announce their forthcoming expansion plans with grand reveals. (American Airlines and Delta Air Lines have already announced their schedules for 2025.) However, what’s especially notable in United’s news is how far-flung many of its new destinations are—especially compared to its main competitors’ networks, which are focused predominantly on first and second cities in Europe.
In addition, seven of the eight new routes include service to destinations vastly under-served by other North American airlines (currently, Delta flies to Dakar only from New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport).
United’s new international destinations for 2025 include:
- Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) in Newark, New Jersey to Faro Airport (FAO) in Faro, Portugal: Launching seasonal service May 16 and flying four times a week aboard a Boeing 757-200.
- EWR to Palermo Airport (PMO) in Palermo, Sicily: Launching seasonal service on May 21 and flying three times weekly aboard a Boeing 767-400.
- EWR to Bilbao Airport (BIO) in Bilbao, Spain: Launching seasonal service on May 31 and flying three times weekly aboard a Boeing 757-200.
- EWR to Madeira Airport (FNC) in Madeira, Portugal: Launching seasonal service on June 7 and flying three times weekly aboard a Boeing 737MAX8.
- EWR to Nuuk Airport (GOH) in Nuuk, Greenland: Launching seasonal routes on June 14 and flying twice weekly aboard a Boeing 737MAX8.
- Narita International Airport (NRT) in Tokyo, Japan to Chinggis Khaan International Airport (UBN) in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia: Launching seasonal service on May 1 and flying three times weekly aboard a Boeing 737-800.
- NRT to Kaohsiung International Airport (KHH) in Kaohsiung, Taiwan: Launching year-round service on July 11 with daily flights aboard a Boeing 737-800.
- Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD) in Washington, D.C. to Blaise Diagne International Airport (DSS) in Dakar, Senegal: Launching year-round service on May 23 and flying three times weekly aboard a Boeing 767-300.
As demand for travel shows few signs of slowing, United says it’s responding to a collective desire among many travelers to experience destinations that are largely unknown on the tourism circuit.
“I think really people look to United to tell them where to fly,” Quayle said. “What we’ve found is, as we grow our customer base, that savvy traveler who has been to Paris, Rome, and Madrid so many times is looking for something different.”
Quayle also noted that United considers routes that have performed well in the carrier’s network and tries to expand on that. One example of that strategy: Cape Town, South Africa was United’s first non-stop destination on the African continent, which was added in 2019 and has since become one of the carrier’s most popular international routes.
The Sicilian capital of Palermo, another of United’s just-announced new routes, is also proving to be a much-desired destination—thanks in part to the widespread popularity among tourists following the second season of The White Lotus, which was filmed there. Delta is also scheduled to start flying to Sicily in 2025, albeit to its other airport in Catania.
All routes except Dakar and Nuuk are now available to book on United’s website. In Greenland, Nuuk’s airport hasn’t actually opened yet—it’s slated to come online in late 2024. However, when it does, United will be the only carrier to offer nonstop service from the United States to the world’s northernmost capital.
These newly added destinations come after a previous announcement that United will begin flying from Newark to Dominica starting February 15, and from Houston to Puerto Escondido, Mexico, starting April 5.
More expanded service
In addition to the new destinations United will now serve, the airline is adding more flights to a handful of its most popular routes.
Most notably, the carrier plans to add a year-round nonstop flight between Tokyo’s Narita International Airport and Koror, Palau’s Roman Tmetuchl International Airport. Already, the carrier serves Palau with connections through Guam and Manila, Philippines. Daily flights are slated to start April 2.
United also will increase the number of flights from Washington Dulles to Venice, Italy, and Nice, France, starting May 22 and 24, respectively. This expansion will complement existing service from Newark.
Similarly, the carrier will add a new route from San Francisco to San José, Costa Rica, starting May 22. When it launches, all of United’s main U.S. hubs will connect to the Central American country’s capital.
While United’s new transatlantic flights already mark significant news, Quayle teases there may be more to come—specifically, routes servicing the carrier’s West Coast markets. “We will potentially add some more West Coast flying later this year,” Quayle said. “So stay tuned for that.”
