United Airlines is marking the fifth anniversary of its nonstop flights between Johannesburg and its Newark/New York hub, Newark Liberty International Airport. United launched the year-round daily service in 2021, becoming the first US carrier to operate flights between Johannesburg and the US East Coast; since then it has carried over 650,000 customers and 8,400 tonnes of cargo on more than 3,300 flights on the route. United operates three nonstop services from South Africa in total: Johannesburg to Newark/New York, Cape Town to Newark/New York, and Cape Town to Washington D.C. “We are proud to mark the fifth anniversary of flying between Johannesburg and Newark/New York,” said Amit Badiani, Head of Africa and Offline Sales, United Airlines. “As well as providing travellers from Gauteng with a convenient nonstop service to New York, our Johannesburg service offers the possibility to connect via our Newark hub to over 130 additional destinations across the Western Hemisphere, including Denver, Chicago, and Houston, whilst U.S. travellers can easily reach the greater Johannesburg metropole, the economic heartbeat of South Africa. Through our strategic codeshare and loyalty arrangement with Airlink and its central Johannesburg hub, we are also able to offer passengers seamless connections to an expanded network across Southern Africa.”

“United Airlines’ Newark-Johannesburg service is an important part of O.R. Tambo International Airport’s international connectivity, linking South Africa directly with one of its key global regions,” said Stephen Maphalla, Acting Regional General Manager, Airports Company South Africa. “Five years on, the route continues to support passenger growth, tourism, trade and cargo flows, while reinforcing our strategy to grow sustainable international connectivity.”

FLIGHT SCHEDULE

Flight UA 187 departs Johannesburg daily at 22:00, arriving in Newark at 07:45 the next day; the return, UA 188, departs Newark daily at 21:25, arriving in Johannesburg at 18:30 the following day. Both are operated by Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft; all times are local and subject to change.

AIRCRAFT AND ONBOARD PRODUCT

United’s South African services are flown with Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft configured with 257 seats: 48 all-aisle-access flatbed seats in United Polaris business class, 21 United Premium Plus seats and 188 in economy, including 39 Economy Plus seats with added legroom. Ahead of the Southern Hemisphere summer, United says it is rolling out Starlink connectivity, complimentary for MileagePlus members in every cabin, with installation due to be complete before the end of 2027, and is installing new seatback screens, including 27-inch 4K OLED screens on new aircraft, across its fleet. United has served South Africa since 2019 and also flies three times weekly between Cape Town and New York/Newark and Cape Town and Washington D.C.; its other African destinations are Accra, Lagos and Marrakesh. During the 2027 summer season, United plans to serve more than 160 destinations in over 45 countries from Newark, its largest transatlantic gateway.