United Airlines has made some new changes to its European network out of Newark for the summer 2026 season. As reported by Aero Routes, United is reducing services to Edinburgh, Brussels, and Frankfurt, cutting its services to all three cities to just once daily. These changes will come into effect in March and May 2026 and represent a small but still noteworthy cut in United’s European network.
Still, overall demand from the US to Europe remains as high as ever. Indeed, United is launching four new routes to Europe from Newark, as the hub will be scheduled with service to 36 European cities in summer 2026, as opposed to 32 in summer 2025. However, with the cuts, United will be down to 300 weekly departures next summer, whereas summer 2025 had 304 weekly departures.
Small Tweaks To United’s European Network
During the summer 2025 season, United Airlines operated 11 weekly flights between Newark Liberty International Airport and 
Frankfurt Airport. Its daily flight, UA42, operates year-round with a Boeing 777-300ER, while the second flight during the summer operates four times a week with the Boeing 767-300ER (76L subfleet). This flight, originally planned to restart on March 26, will not return in 2026.
United operates a daily flight (UA994) between Newark and Brussels Airport year-round, currently using a Boeing 787-10. 2025 saw United operate a second daily flight between the two cities during the summer, using the Boeing 757-200. This flight was set to return on March 28, 2026, but has now been canceled. This leaves UA994 as the only United flight between the two cities during the summer.
Summer 2025 saw United Airlines fly two daily flights between Newark and Edinburgh Airport, both of which used the Boeing 757-200. UA36 operates year-round with the 757, while the second daily flight was originally set to return on May 21, 2026. This flight has now been canceled, and UA36 will remain as the carrier’s only flight between the two cities, still with a Boeing 757-200.
Why Is United Making These Changes?
These changes were likely planned together with United’s earlier expansion announcement for the season. They ultimately come down to aircraft availability, capacity adjustments, and responding to market trends. With Edinburgh, for instance, United is launching a new seasonal flight between Newark and nearby Glasgow Airport with the Boeing 737 MAX 8. Likely, the carrier is expecting that some passengers will instead take this flight, while also trimming low-yielding economy capacity as its 757s are in a leisure-heavy layout.
United Airlines only has 40 Boeing 757-200s, and these planes operate both transatlantic flights and domestic services. With a relatively small fleet, the carrier has to pick and choose which routes these aircraft fly. While the second Edinburgh and Brussels flights are being cut, the carrier will be launching new daily 757 services to Reykjavik from Washington-Dulles. For the Brussels flight, the loss of the 757 represents only a minor decrease in capacity as United is still flying its 318-seat 787-10 daily on this route.
While United is cutting one 767-300ER flight next summer, it’s also adding two more: Newark to Bari and Newark to Split. The Newark to Frankfurt route already sees a daily 350-seat Boeing 777-300ER, along with a daily Lufthansa Boeing 747-8 and double-daily Lufthansa flights from JFK. As such, the market is well-served, and this makes it an easy choice for United to cut some capacity to instead redeploy on these new routes.
New United Routes In Summer 2026
As previously mentioned, United is overall growing its transatlantic network by destination count in 2026, even if its number of flights out of Newark is slightly reduced. The route from Washington-Dulles to Reykjavik will be United’s third to Iceland (already served from Newark and Chicago), while it’s also launching services to Bari and Split, the only US airline to serve these cities.
United is growing its Boeing 737 MAX fleet at a breakneck pace, and it’s using some of these aircraft to serve even smaller European destinations. 2026 will see the aforementioned Newark to Glasgow route commence with the Boeing 737 MAX 8, while the 737 MAX 8 will also launch new services from Newark to Santiago de Compostela, which will be United’s sixth destination in Spain.
Beyond Europe, United continues to build its Asian network. While its Boeing 767 fleet is limited in size, it’s actively taking delivery of new Boeing 787-9s, and is using them to add a third flight between Newark and Tel Aviv, which will operate four times a week. In addition, United will be launching new daily services between Newark and Seoul, the only US airline to connect the two cities.
