A year ago, Newark Liberty International Airport was one of the most delayed airports in the country. Today, it leads the Northeast.
Newark has recorded the highest on-time flight performance among major airports in the region so far in 2026, according to United Airlines, the airport’s largest carrier. United achieved its best-ever on-time rate at Newark in April and May, flying nearly 5.8 million passengers through the airport during that stretch. Over Memorial Day weekend, United carried a record three million passengers across its network, with nearly 70% arriving on time.
The turnaround follows a difficult 2025, when FAA radar outages, air traffic control staffing shortages, and runway construction combined to produce widespread delays and cancellations. The FAA and Department of Transportation stepped in with staffing improvements, technology upgrades, and flight caps to bring schedules in line with the airport’s actual capacity.
United CEO Scott Kirby was at Newark on Tuesday to thank the airline’s nearly 15,000 local employees. He’s also looking ahead to the future of one of America’s busiest airports.
In an interview with NJ.com, Kirby said United is pushing the FAA to raise the hourly flight cap from 72 to 75—which would add roughly 30 flights—and is eyeing slots left behind by the recently shuttered Spirit Airlines. Long term, he wants to nearly double the number of wide-body departures to close to 100 per day. Terminal B—the airport’s oldest terminal—-is also in the midst of a massive upgrade.
Newark currently connects passengers to nearly 320 destinations across the Americas and the Caribbean, with nonstop service to 42 destinations across Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and India—more transatlantic routes than any other carrier in the New York Metropolitan area. Service is still expanding—new routes this summer include destinations like Split, Croatia; Bari, Italy; and Glasgow, Scotland. United will also become the only U.S. airline offering nonstop service between Newark and Seoul, South Korea beginning in September.
After a tumultuous 2025, Newark Liberty International Airport is turning a page—one that includes the top spot in the Northeast for on-time flights, an expanded flight network, and a much-needed makeover for an aging Terminal B.
The New Jersey Digest is a new jersey magazine that has chronicled daily life in the Garden State for over 10 years.