United Opens New Wide-Body Hangar at Newark Liberty International

united airlinesUnited Airlines has opened a new $35 million wide-body aircraft hangar at Newark Liberty International Airport. That expands the airline's maintenance capability for its wide-body aircraft by 33 percent at that busy hub airport.

The new 90,000-square-foot facility will support maintenance operations for the Boeing 787 Dreamliner and the Airbus A350-XWB, which United will begin flying in 2018.

“This state-of-the-art hangar underscores United’s commitment to the city of Newark, the state of New Jersey and the region,” said Ken Burtt, United’s senior vice president of technical operations. “The facility will be an asset to our operation, helping us improve the reliability of our aircraft, maintain the highest levels of safety and provide a superior workplace for our employees.”

United has more than 13,000 employees in the New York metropolitan area, 700 of whom are involved in technical operations and maintenance at Newark Liberty.

“United Airlines’ investment of nearly $35 million in its new 21st century hangar at Newark Liberty International Airport is further evidence of the carrier’s longstanding commitment to New Jersey,’’ said Deb Gramiccioni, deputy director of the Port Authority of New York & New Jersey. “The Port Authority is especially pleased this widebody aircraft hangar is designed to serve larger aircraft like the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, one of the newer generation of planes for our passengers.”

In November 2013, United completed construction of a 125,000-square-foot maintenance hangar at Washington Dulles International Airport. Together with this new hangar at Newark, United has significantly increased its maintenance capabilities on the East Coast.

RELATED: United Cracks Down on Oversized Bags  

The airline offers nearly 400 flights each day from Newark Liberty to more than 150 destinations in North and South America, Europe, the Middle East and Asia; it also has service from LaGuardia and John F. Kennedy International airports.