United Continental Holdings has confirmed that its United Airlines brand will launch a new daily service between Newark Liberty International Airport and Istanbul Ataturk. The new service remains subject to government approval but is due to launch from July 1, 2012.
According to United, the flight will initially be operated using a three-class Boeing 767-300 with seating for 183 passengers - six in United Global First, 26 in United BusinessFirst and 151 in United Economy, including 67 Economy Plus seats with added leg-room. However, from August 28 a two-cabin aircraft will be introduced on the route, increasing seating to 214 passengers - 30 in BusinessFirst and 184 in Economy, including 46 Economy Plus seats.
“We are excited to add Istanbul to our global route network,” said Jim Compton, Executive Vice President and Chief Revenue Officer, United Airlines. “This new service will provide customers throughout the United States, Canada and Latin America direct access to one of the most important cities in the region.”
Istanbul will be the 76th international destination that United serves from Newark Liberty International, one of the main gateways into New York, and the 37th city in United’s transatlantic route network. The New York market is already served from Istanbul by Delta Air Lines and Turkish Airlines (THY) although they both serve John F Kennedy International Airport: THY also serves Chicago, Los Angeles and Washington in the US. An estimated 316,000 O&D passengers travelled between Istanbul and the US in 2011 with approximately 118,000 travelling between Istanbul and New York.
Related Content
