On Tuesday, United Airlines celebrated the many improvements made at Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) over the summer.
Local leaders, light attendants, airport marshals, and pilots gathered in Hangar 54 to hear from United CEO Scott Kirby about what has changed at EWR, and what the future holds for United customers.
Jon Gooda, Vice President of Team EWR at United Airlines, discussed the changes coming to Newark airport, including planes run on Sustainable Aviation Fuel, additional winter destinations for customers, and 2,500 new employees by the end of 2026. He also assured customers that it is “100% safe” to fly out of Newark Airport.
Throughout spring 2025, EWR experienced a multitude of issues, including air traffic control staffing shortages, equipment failures, communication/radar outages, and runway construction.
These issues resulted in hundreds of flight delays and forced the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to cut multiple flights in and out of Newark Airport for several weeks in May. According to the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, the number of flight passengers that month fell 20%, compared to the number in May 2024.
However, conditions at EWR improved dramatically over the summer. In June, EWR reportedly had fewer flight cancellations and a higher percentage of on-time departures than LaGuardia or John F. Kennedy International Airports. Later, on August 16th, United had its biggest day of the year, having carried 650,000 customers in one day.
“Thanks to a partnership from the FAA Secretary [Sean] Duffy, our partners at the Port Authority, and our incredible employees, we were able to complete the best summer ever for on-time performance right here in Newark Airport,” Gooda said in an interview.
As for air traffic controllers, Kirby stated that the FAA is spending $12.5 billion to swiftly hire and train new staff, as well as invest in new technology. He claims the results are now clear, as Newark Airport went eight days in a row with no ground delays.
Kirby also announced that United is working on plans with the Port Authority to acquire more gates for more international flights. This plan aims to reach close to 100 wide-body departures a day out of Newark Airport.
“Let’s invest, with managed capacity, to the limits to the airport,” Kirby said in a statement. “But let’s also invest in the technology and staffing and training so that the FAA be fully staffed and support a reliable operation. And together, with all of you and the FAA, doing that is, what led to the most reliable summer in our history.”
Additionally, Toby Enqvist, United’s Executive Vice President and Chief Operations Officer, discussed ongoing renovations to the airline’s existing narrow-body planes. With about 63% of these renovations completed, he stated that they will be completed sometimes in 2026.
Guests were given the chance to see the new additions to United’s aircrafts: the luxurious Polaris Studio business class suite. They were even able to tour the inside of one of United’s new planes, an Airbus A321neo, inside the hangar.
In a public statement, Newark Mayor Ras J. Baraka expressed his gratitude and confidence in United, saying the airline has provided over 2,000 jobs to people in Newark.
“The residents of the city [of Newark] look for quality travel,” said Baraka. “They look for reliability. They look for consistency, they look for safety, they look for United to change the narrative of what’s happening at Newark airport and push us into a future to a new place. We know that travel in the state of New Jersey will be the best travel in this entire country.”
Though EWR had a very troubling season in the spring, travelers flying in and out of the newcomers should have much to look forward to. The changes that United, the FAA, and EWR have made to their staffing and technology have begun to improve the safety and quality of local air travel. However, Kirby stated that there is much more to come.
“We just finished the preseason. Now we’re getting ready to start a season,” Kirby said in a statement. “We’re going to go out and continue to invest in others…We’re going to continue to invest in the product, on board, on the airplanes, invest in all of you.”