How United’s global reach is impacting economic development in N.J.

Officials in the Governor’s Office and Choose New Jersey have long praised the partnership the state has with United Airlines, crediting the carrier as a key player in driving economic growth in the state — due to the large number of international flights (including nonstops) that originate from Newark Liberty International Airport.

In fact, Gov. Phil Murphy has said United’s large international network was a big part of the pitch that helped New Jersey land the final of the FIFA 2026 World Cup, as it showed the area has the ability to conveniently bring fans from all over the world to New Jersey.

United steps up in other ways. It recently served as the travel partner for the recent economic mission trip to India that was organized and run by Choose New Jersey.

Jon Gooda, vice president of United Airlines’ Newark Hub, said the airline was glad to play a part in the trip.

“United was proud to serve as the official travel partner for New Jersey’s economic mission to India,” he said. “As the world becomes increasingly interconnected, we’re committed to strengthening ties between New Jersey and India, supporting both business growth and cultural exchange, while expanding our service from Newark to more than 140 destinations worldwide.”

Among those destinations is New Delhi, where United offers daily nonstop flights.

United is one of New Jersey’s leading private employers, with more than 14,000 local employees. And it recently announced plans to add 2,500 jobs to Newark airport through 2026. It is estimated that the airline contributes $16 billion worth of economic impact to the state.

Speaking of Newark, after a meltdown in the spring due to staffing and technology issues, United recently announced it had its best operational summer ever in Newark — topping both John F. Kennedy International Airport and LaGuardia Airport for on-time performance.

Part of the turnaround was based on a reduction in daily flights for the airport as a whole. Overscheduling is something the airline has long said created issues for travelers.

The Federal Aviation Administration earlier this month said it is capping flight operations at Newark airport, limiting flights to 72 operations per hour through Oct. 24, 2026.

The reduced operations, along with continued focus on technology upgrades and air traffic controller staffing increases, are critical milestones toward Newark’s long-term operational certainty, United CEO Scott Kirby said.

Kirby thanked U.S. Transporation Secretary Sean Duffy and FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford for their actions.

“Thanks to Secretary Duffy and Administrator Bedford for their leadership in finalizing these capacity reductions for the upcoming seasons — Newark is running better than ever and operating at a level on par with the other major New York City area airports,” he said.

“Now that airline schedules match the actual capacity at EWR, things will only get better as we head into the fall and winter seasons, and we look forward to continuing to work with DOT and FAA on a long-term solution to manage the airport’s capacity.”

To be clear, properly capping the number of flights per hour will not mean the airline needs to reduce its flights — it just means their on-time metrics will dramatically improve.

In fact, United, which operates 17 gates out of Terminal A, will add nearly 1,000 additional flights out of Newark this winter.

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