United Airlines Picks Dublin & Amsterdam as First Destinations for New Airbus A321 XLR 'Born to Explore' Plane

United Airlines has announced that Dublin and Amsterdam will be the first two cities to receive service from the airline’s new Airbus A321XLR ‘Born to Explore’ aircraft.

Starting today, travellers can book seats on the aircraft’s first international flights: UA229 from Dublin to Washington Dulles (IAD) and UA947 from Amsterdam to Washington Dulles (IAD) for flights scheduled from December 2, 2026.

When customers step onboard United’s Airbus A321XLR, they can expect to find a single-aisle aircraft designed to elevate international travel for everyone onboard with features like a new United Polaris suite with a privacy door, free Starlink Wi-Fi for MileagePlus^SM members, 4K OLED screens with Bluetooth connectivity, a snack bar in United Economy^SM and the new Economy Plus seats with extra elbow room and access to a shared table across an open middle seat – United expects to be the only major U.S. airline that will offer this seating option.

"Bringing our 'Born to Explore' Airbus A321XLR to Amsterdam and Dublin this December marks an exciting milestone across the Atlantic, underlining the importance of the Netherlands and Ireland within United’s global route network," said Leon Goldberg, Managing Director International Sales APAC and EMEAI, United Airlines. "We're investing nose-to-tail across our fleet and our newest international aircraft has been designed from the ground up to be our most premium narrowbody airplane, delivering a new level of comfort and style for international travellers.”

"We are delighted to see United Airlines deploy its state-of-the-art Airbus A321XLR on services between Dublin and the United States,” said Eoin McGloughlin, VP Aviation Business Development, Dublin Airport. “This investment reflects the strength of the Dublin region and the enduring demand for transatlantic travel. The A321XLR brings greater efficiency, enhanced passenger comfort and increased flexibility for airlines, and we are proud that Dublin has been selected as one of the first destinations to welcome this next-generation aircraft. We look forward to continuing our strong partnership with United Airlines as we expand connectivity between Ireland and North America."

United’s Largest International Expansion Yet

United’s ‘Born to Explore’ Airbus A321XLR will support the airline’s largest international network expansion in company history, with 10 new international cities and three new routes across Europe and Asia. Starting as early as March 2027, the airline will fly to 10 new international cities - including eight no other U.S. airline serves – across Europe and Asia: San Francisco (SFO) to Okinawa, Japan; Washington Dulles (IAD) to Toulouse, France; Newark/New York (EWR) to Luxembourg City, Luxembourg; Marseille, France; Ibiza, Spain; Valencia, Spain; Terceira, Portugal; Ljubljana, Slovenia; Olbia (Sardinia), Italy; Catania (Sicily), Italy. United’s newest international aircraft, the ‘Born to Explore’ Airbus A321XLR, will operate the new services to Ibiza, Luxembourg, Marseille, Toulouse and Valencia.

Beyond the 10 new cities, United also plans to add new flights from Los Angeles to Osaka, Japan; Washington, D.C. to Milan, Italy; Denver to Paris; and plans to resume flights from San Francisco to Tel Aviv, Israel. The airline will serve more destinations in Japan, Spain, Portugal, Italy and France than any other U.S. carrier and is the only U.S. airline serving Osaka from two different Continental U.S. cities.

In addition, United will be bringing back the new destinations it added in summer 2026 for summer 2027 with flights from Newark/New York to Split, Croatia; Bari, Italy; Glasgow, Scotland; and Santiago de Compostela, Spain. 

This latest expansion builds on nearly a decade of international growth, with United adding 58 international destinations to its route map since 2017. As the world’s largest airline, United now flies to more than 160 international destinations.