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United Airlines is set to operate more Boeing 757 flights to Europe during the summer of 2026 than it has in any year since 2017. This increase is primarily due to the introduction of a new route between Washington Dulles and Keflavik, Iceland, which will commence on May 22, 2026. The move will put United in direct competition with Icelandair on this route, after PLAY ceased its service to Dulles last year.
The airline’s fleet of Boeing 757-200s, originally acquired from Continental Airlines, averages nearly 29 years old. While these aircraft require more fuel and maintenance compared to newer models such as the incoming Airbus A321XLRs, they are fully paid off and therefore less expensive for the airline to operate.
Data from Cirium Diio shows that United has scheduled approximately 558 one-way Boeing 757 flights across the Atlantic for July 2026. This figure represents an increase of almost six percent compared to July of the previous year and a rise of thirty-eight percent compared to July 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic. These flights will account for about seventeen percent of United’s total European services during that month.
