United Launches New Service to Dakar, Senegal

United Airlines has expanded its presence in Africa with the launch of a new three-weekly service from Washington D.C to Dakar, Senegal. The nonstop service will commence on 23 May, 2025.

With the Washington Dulles-Dakar flight, United will now fly to more destinations in Africa than any other U.S. carrier. Centrally located on Africa’s west coastline, Dakar is the gateway to Africa with pristine beaches, lush forests and rich archaeological history.

This new year-round service builds on the airline’s existing service to Cape Town, Johannesburg, Accra, and Lagos as well as seasonal service to Marrakesh.

United’s new service to Dakar will help further Africa’s growing tourism industry, which has seen 13% more arrivals in the first quarter this year compared to the same period in 2023 according to the UN Tourism.

The launch of service to Dakar is part of United Airlines’ announced largest international expansion in its history which includes service to seven other new destinations across the world.

Starting in May 2025, United will launch five new nonstop flights from Newark to Nuuk, Greenland; Palermo, Italy; Bilbao, Spain; Madeira Island, Portugal and Faro, Portugal. The airline is also adding two new seasonal nonstop flights to Nice, France and Venice, Italy.

Already the U.S. carrier with the most flights across the Atlantic, United’s summer 2025 transatlantic schedule will be the largest in its history with more than 760 weekly flights. In addition to new flights, customers will have even more time to explore Venice, Italy; Athens, Greece; and Barcelona, Spain with earlier start dates next summer.

The airline will also increase the number of weekly direct flights between Newark/New York-Palma de Mallorca, Spain, Newark/New York-Dubrovnik, Croatia, and Newark/New York-Athens, Greece.

United is also adding new direct flights from Tokyo Narita to Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia and Kaohsiung and a new nonstop flight to Koror, Palau. These new flights will seamlessly connect in Tokyo to United’s transpacific services to five hub locations in the continental United States.

The summer expansion unlocks a wide range of experiences from reindeer sleigh rides, camel racing and seeing sunshine at midnight to bucket list attractions like the Guggenheim Museum and Italy’s largest opera house.

United is the largest airline in the world and flies to more international destinations than any other U.S. carrier. In total next summer, United will offer 800 daily flights to and from 147 international destinations, including 40 that no other U.S. airline serves.

All new flights are subject to government approval and will be available for sale on United.com and on the United app.

“No other airline gives customers nonstop access to as many unique international destinations and experiences from the U.S. as United,” said Patrick Quayle, Senior Vice President of Global Network Planning and Alliances.

“Our network provides the most choice and variety for our customers, whether they are looking for a relaxing seaside getaway, once-in-a-lifetime adventure travel or to explore some of the most vibrant urban escapes across the globe.”

This expansion comes on the heels of the latest chapter of United’s award-winning Good Leads The Way brand advertising campaign, which debuted earlier this month. The latest iteration of the campaign highlights United’s position as the world’s largest airline and showcases how United’s network gives customers the most flexibility and options to travel across the globe.