CHICAGO, May 9, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- In May 1986, United Airlines commenced hub operations at Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD) with 58 departures serving 24 destinations. Today, the airline celebrates three decades of serving Dulles as a hub and more than 50 years serving the capital region, connecting customers to 83 global destinations with more than 200 departures, including capital-to-capital service to nearly 40 airports worldwide.

"Over the last 30 years, United has employed nearly 17,000 dedicated employees at IAD who have helped connect more than 500 million people through Washington Dulles to destinations around the globe," said Jon Roitman, senior vice president of airport operations for United. "We are committed to providing our customers at IAD and throughout the world with an elevated travel experience, and we look forward to delivering unmatched service from the national capital region for decades to come."

United remains focused on adding service to the places customers want to fly at the times they want to travel, and will launch two new daily seasonal routes from IAD to Barcelona and Lisbon on May 25. Additionally, United recently applied to serve Havana from Dulles – the only airline that would offer direct flights to the Cuban capital from the Washington, D.C. market.

About United

United Airlines and United Express operate an average of 5,000 flights a day to 336 airports across six continents. In 2015, United and United Express operated more than 1.5 million flights carrying more than 140 million customers. United is proud to have the world's most comprehensive route network, including U.S. mainland hubs in Chicago, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, New York/Newark, San Francisco and Washington, D.C. United operates more than 715 mainline aircraft, and this year, the airline anticipates taking delivery of 21 new Boeing aircraft, including 737 NGs, 787s and 777s. The airline is a founding member of Star Alliance, which provides service to 192 countries via 28 member airlines. Approximately 86,000 United employees reside in every U.S. state and in countries around the world. For more information, visit united.com, follow @United on Twitter or connect on Facebook. The common stock of United's parent, United Continental Holdings, Inc., is traded on the NYSE under the symbol UAL.

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SOURCE United Airlines