United Airlines it turned out that all flights from Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) to Dubai International Airport (DXB) have been removed for the coming winter. This is of course due to the ongoing war in Iran and the subsequent decline in demand.. United has not flown to DXB since the outbreak of war in February 2026. Every week, airlines post schedule changes to OAG, Cirium Diio and other platforms. There are many ways things can be different, including routes that have been eliminated or that will now operate during different periods than planned in the previous week. United is no exception. United continues to suspend flights to Dubai Photo: Wikimedia Commons. Star Alliance In March 2023, the member introduced DXB to non-stop service from EWR, the carrier’s leading transatlantic hub. Of course, this happened in partnership with Emirates, which includes a code-sharing agreement, reciprocal access to loyalty programs and lounges, and more. Flights operated daily until the war in Iran forced them to cease in February 2026. Emirates continues to serve EWR daily via Athens International Airport Eleftherios Venizelos (ATN). Before this week’s update, United’s plan was for the long nonstop route, covering 5,962 nautical miles (11,042 km) each way, to return on October 24, 2026. This is the day before United, like other northern carriers, switches to a winter schedule depending on the IATA slot season. Now that plan has changed. The latest information, which may still change depending on stability in the Gulf, is that flights will resume. March 27, 2027. This is the day before northern airlines switch to summer schedules. United will operate daily using the 350-seat facility. Boeing 777-300ER. The development comes weeks after Emirates partner Air Canada pushed Toronto to fly DXB until 2027. United’s 777-300ER aircraft are the airline’s highest-capacity aircraft designed for international travel. Polaris has 60 seats (1-2-1), 24 seats in Premium Plus (2-4-2; 38-inch pitch), 62 seats in Economic Plus (3-4-3; 34 inches), and 204 seats in the Regular Main Cabin (3-4-3; 31 inches). The 777-300ER also has significant cargo space, which could have a significant impact on the profitability of long-haul routes. Frequency EWR to DXB; Local time* DXB to EWR; Local time** Daily UA164: 21:20-18:35+1 (777-300ER; 13 hours 15 minutes) UA163: 1:55–8:40 (777–300ER; 14 hours 45 minutes). Daily EK210: 23:55–23:35+1 (777-300ER; via ATH; 15 hours 40 minutes) EK209: 10:50–21:20 (777-300ER, via ATH; 18 hours 30 minutes) *In April 2027 ** In April 2027 Loading map… Drag to explore + − Merging Newark and Dubai Credit: Flickr Let’s focus on the period from March 2025 to February 2026.when United last flew to DXB. The airline carried 169,212 roundtrips during that period, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT). passengers between EWR and DXB. This long pair of airports was United’s ninth-most visited market from New Jersey across the North Atlantic. Only London Heathrow, Tel Aviv, Paris, Sharjah, Rome, Frankfurt, Dublin, Brussels and Lisbon had more passengers. About 83.1% of DXB’s seats were filled, which is about the same as for all of the carrier’s transatlantic flights from EWR. Considering how many premium seats were available to/from DXB, one has to assume United filled a decent number of them. Unfortunately, DOT data does not differentiate between cabins when disclosing information about them. load factor. Booking data available through OAG Traffic Analyzer provides more detailed information on where 169,212 round-trip passengers traveled. It is estimated that 42% of traffic was routed from elsewhere in North America or Latin America to DXB via EWR. Houston George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) on DXB was the most popular segment. 26% of passengers transferred to another flight on both EWRs. And DCB. The first was a move from San Diego to Bahrain, presumably for military reasons. 23% of the total traffic was between EWR and DXB alone. The remaining 9% originated/terminated at EWR but were transferred to an Emirates flight to DXB (EWR to Hyderabad was number one). Total about 34% of United passengers also flew Emirates.. Direct flights from United to Newark! United Airlines Newark Emirates between Dubai and Newark Photo: Wikimedia Commons. Currently Emirates traffic information through DOT is only available through April 2026. In March (a month after the start of the Iran War) and April, 31,675 round trip passengers were carried between DXB and EWR via ATH. Compared to the same two months in 2025, traffic increased by 11%. This resulted in a seven percentage point increase in load factor to 72.8%. This figure still seems surprisingly low, but that is what the DOT shows. The increase in traffic was not surprising since United had no direct flights. More passengers flew Emirates instead. But given the lack of capacity, growth of 11% was not that great. This reflected the greater difficulties in flying or connecting at DXB and other Gulf hubs in the immediate aftermath of the war. This continues today, but not as dramatically. Still, it’s enough to force United and Air Canada to delay their return to the Middle East’s busiest airport. Post navigation APT Travel Group launches £1,000 weekly discount vouchers InterContinental Hotels Group shares rise due to share buybacks