One of the largest airlines in the world, United Airlines Holding Inc., operates an extensive international and domestic air services network. The airlines operate from hubs such as Houston George Bush, Chicago O’Hare, Denver, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Newark Liberty, and Washington Dulles.
The US carrier threatened to stop services at the John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York unless the federal regulators allow the airlines to review the use of runways and increase their daily operations.
In a memo to its employees on Tuesday, the company said that despite the airport infrastructure improvement and widening of runways, the total flight capacity of the airline has not increased since 2008. United Airlines operates two flights daily between JFK and Los Angeles and two flights back and forth from San Francisco to JFK.
Exit Jfk Airport
The company said it would suspend its operations from JFK international airport by October if more slots were not given. The carrier said that taking such a step was frustrating and tough, and they had worked hard to prevent such a situation.
United Airlines resumed its operations at JFK in 2021 and has repeatedly requested the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to expand its services.
In 2014 and 2015, United Airlines leased out its rights of daily 40 take-offs and landings at the JFK airport to Delta Air Lines Inc. At that time, united had left the airport to concentrate on transcontinental flights at the nearby hub in Newark, New Jersey.
As per United Airlines, the lease assignment to Delta was long-term, which meant united did not have access to the facility in the foreseeable future.
Delta Airlines did not comment on the nature of its lease with United.
In an emailed statement, the FAA said it would distribute equally among carriers if new flights were added at JFK. There is no guarantee that united airlines will receive additional slots.
The FAA clarified it always looks at the way to increase the safety and efficiency of busy metropolitan area airports. They consider runway and airspace capacity to assess how an increase in flights will affect nearby airports.
The New York area is already congested in the US, and in case the JFK airport adds more flights, they may be able to handle additional landings and take-offs. The region may witness additional tie-ups in such a scenario, according to a person familiar with the issue and asked not to disclose his name.
United Airlines discontinued around 50 flights from Newark Liberty International Airport early this year. This was because of excess flight disruptions caused by factors including construction activity and too many flights scheduled by two discount carriers.
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