16-Hour Flights: United Airlines Debuts 2 Nonstop Long-Haul Routes In Just 4 Days

Published Sep 11, 2026, 3:00 PM EDT James lives and breathes route development. Educated in Air Transport Management at Loughborough University and Cranfield University, James has a PhD in Airline Strategy and Economics. James was Market Opportunity Analyst at London Luton Airport and Chief Analyst at anna.aero. He taught airline strategy and economics to undergraduate and postgraduate students for five years and has worked closely with multiple carriers on route and market intelligence projects. He is based near London, UK. In September, more than 160 scheduled passenger airlines have long-haul flights. Leading the pack is United Airlines, which has an average of 161 daily long-haul departures. Emirates is second, followed by Delta Air Lines, Qatar Airways, and British Airways. Of the US carriers, United is the leading operator (for flights) to Africa, Asia, Australasia, Europe, and the Middle East. However, it ranks second, behind American Airlines, to South America. This might be why United's CEO has mentioned (whether jokingly or not) that it is keen to have a Florida hub. On September 4, United Began This New Long-Haul Route On Friday, September 4, a week before this article was written, the Star Alliance member took off from Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) to Seoul's Incheon International Airport (ICN). This became United's second route from the US to ICN, alongside service from the carrier's Pacific hub of San Francisco International Airport (SFO). This was the first time that the carrier had served the very long route — which covers 5,992 nautical miles (11,097 km) on a great circle distance — on a nonstop basis. As the great circle is just the shortest distance between two airports, it does not reflect real-world operations, including, in this instance, avoiding Russian airspace. United serves the route daily using the less premium, higher-capacity 257-seat Boeing 787-9. This configuration has 48 seats in Polaris (1-2-1), 21 seats in Premium Plus (2-3-2; 38" pitch), 39 seats in Economy Plus (3-3-3; 34" pitch), and 149 seats in bog-standard economy (3-3-3; 31" pitch). Frequency EWR To ICN; Local Times ICN To EWR; Local Times Daily UA285: 10:35 AM-3:20 PM+1; 15 hours and 45 minutes UA286: 5:15 PM-6:00 PM (same day arrival); 13 hours and 45 minutes Two airlines operate between EWR and ICN for the first time. United joins South Korea's self-described hybrid operator Air Premia, which has flown to New Jersey since 2023. The carrier explains why ICN is the top local market in East Asia for EWR. It even exceeds the traffic to Tokyo Haneda Airport (HND) and Tokyo Narita combined. Air Premia is also why the average fare from EWR to ICN is significantly lower than from John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) and, therefore, much more lower-yielding. On September 8, United Reintroduced This Route On Tuesday, September 8, United restarted service from EWR to Tel Aviv's (TLV) after a war-induced suspension. This came two days after Delta resumed flights from JFK to Israel. Only American has not returned. Unless things change, that carrier is scheduled to do so in March 2027. United currently has two daily flights to TLV on the 313-seat Boeing 787-10. TLV is the only airport in the Middle East to which the airline is now flying. Due to the ongoing war in Iran, service to DXB, in collaboration with Emirates, is set to return in March 2027 at the earliest. It is possible that further developments in the Levant and the Gulf may change things again. In the 12 months to July 2026, booking data via OAG Traffic Analyzer shows that EWR-TLV had 418,000 round-trip passengers. It was the second-largest market between the US and Israel. With United and El Al flying nonstop, nearly everyone (94%) used them. The top three connecting hubs were Vienna with Austrian Airlines, Dubai with Emirates (really), and Warsaw with LOT Polish. At 4,946 nautical miles (9,160 km) on a great circle basis, EWR-TLV is now United's second-longest 787-10-operated service. Only flights from Chicago O'Hare International Airport (ORD) to HND cover a greater distance this month. From November 2, United will have up to three daily flights from New Jersey to Israel, with the additional operation on the 257-seat 787-9. Frequency EWR To TLV; Local Times* TLV To EWR; Local Times** Daily UA84: 3:55 PM-9:20 AM+1 (787-10); 10 hours and 25 minutes UA168: 12:50 AM-5:55 AM (787-9); 12 hours and 5 minutes Four weekly UA167: 8:40 PM-2:05 PM+1 (787-9); 10 hours and 25 minutes UA85: 11:30 AM-4:35 PM (787-10); 12 hours and 5 minutes Daily UA90: 11:35 PM-5:00 PM+1 (787-10); 10 hours and 25 minutes UA91: 11:10 PM-4:15 AM+1 (787-10); 12 hours and 5 minutes * In November ** In November United Plans Five Routes To The Middle East Credit: Shutterstock The latest information for October 2026 to July 2027 shows that United has scheduled five routes to two airports in the Middle East. It now operates from EWR to TLV (up to 18 weekly 787-9/787-10), while flights from ORD to TLV are due to resume on October 24 (four weekly 787-8). On October 25, service will resume from Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD) to Israel (three weekly 787-8), followed by EWR to DXB on March 27, 2027 (daily 777-300ER; shown above). Finally, on October 28, United will lift off from SFO to TLV (three weekly 787-9). In April next year, United plans four daily flights to the region, which will be the joint-highest number on record for that month. Will things develop as planned? Time will tell.