United to add 10 international destinations in 2027 network expansion

United Airlines plans to add 10 new international destinations in 2027, plus three additional routes. The carrier describes it as the biggest international expansion of its network in its 100-year history.

The new cities include Okinawa, Japan, served from San Francisco, and Toulouse, France, from Washington Dulles. Eight more destinations will fly from Newark: Luxembourg City, Marseille, Ibiza, Valencia, Terceira, Ljubljana, Olbia and Catania. United says eight of the new destinations have no service from any other U.S. carrier, and seven currently have no nonstop link to the United States at all.

Service to Okinawa begins March 27, with three weekly flights on a Boeing 777-200 running through late October. Daily, year-round flights between Newark and Luxembourg City start April 2, followed by daily Washington Dulles-Toulouse service on April 26. Both routes will use the airline's new Airbus A321XLR aircraft.

United executive Patrick Quayle, speaking at a news conference, said the Toulouse route was chosen partly to link Airbus's North American base near Dulles with the manufacturer's headquarters in France.

More additions from Newark include four weekly flights to Ljubljana starting May 12, three weekly flights to Olbia from May 27, and four weekly flights to Catania beginning May 28. Those seasonal routes run into late September or October on Boeing 767 aircraft. Details of a further Newark route mentioned by the airline were not fully specified in available material.