United Airlines plans to launch three new routes across three continents, including the addition of a fifth-freedom service from Tokyo Narita, a secondary city in Colombia and a new destination in Africa.
The carrier will also increase flying to China, Hong Kong, Portugal and South Korea.
After becoming the first U.S. airline to fly nonstop to the Philippines from the continental U.S. last November with a San Francisco-Manila route, United is further expanding its presence in the Southeast Asian country.
A new year-round, nonstop service to Cebu is being opened from July 31, operating from Tokyo Narita International Airport (NRT). The service to Mactan-Cebu International Airport will be daily using Boeing 737-800 aircraft, offering connections from the airline’s flights from Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, New York Newark and San Francisco.
The route to Cebu will become United’s only fifth-freedom service from NRT—previously a hub for the Star Alliance member. Cebu will also be its second destination in the Philippines after Manila, which it serves from Guam, Palau and San Francisco.
According to OAG Schedules Analyser data, three carriers serve the Tokyo-Cebu market at present: Cebu Pacific, Philippines AirAsia and Philippine Airlines. However, Philippines AirAsia’s daily service is set to be suspended at the end of the northern winter 2023-24 season.
Elsewhere, United’s Houston Intercontinental Airport (IAH) hub will see the launch of the airline’s first-ever route to Medellin, the capital of Colombia’s mountainous Antioquia province. Flights will operate daily from Oct. 27 using 737 aircraft. The route complements the carrier’s existing flights from IAH and New York Newark (EWR) to Bogota, the host destination for Routes Americas 2024, and becomes the sole service connecting Houston and Medellin.
OAG data shows that Medellin Jose Maria Cordova International Airport (MDE) has seven nonstop connections to the U.S. at present, six of which are to Florida. Avianca also serves New York John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) from MDE.
United’s third new route will see flights launched from EWR to Marrakesh in western Morocco. Operations will commence on Oct. 24, with three flights per week using 767-300ER aircraft.
The route will become the second between the New York area and Morocco, alongside Royal Air Maroc’s daily service to JFK from Casablanca, and Marrakesh’s only nonstop service to the U.S. For United, the Moroccan city will be its fifth African destination in addition to Accra, Ghana; Lagos, Nigeria; and Cape Town and Johannesburg, South Africa.
Alongside the Cebu, Medellin and Marrakesh routes, United has confirmed plans to resume a service between Los Angeles and Shanghai from Aug. 29. Flights will initially be 4X-weekly using 787-9s, rising to daily from late October.
The move comes after the U.S. and Chinese governments agreed to increase the number of permitted roundtrips to 50 from March 31, up from 35 at present. However, it remains about one-third of the frequencies allowed before the pandemic.
United is also adding more flights to Hong Kong and Seoul. It will launch a second daily Los Angeles-Hong Kong (HKG) flight on a 787-9 aircraft on Oct. 26, complementing its two existing daily flights to HKG from San Francisco.
The airline will also offer year-round, 2X-daily flights between San Francisco and Seoul, starting Oct. 25. Additionally, a second daily flight between EWR and Porto, Portugal, will start on May 23 using 757-200 equipment.
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