United Airlines is to extend its seasonal service between Bermuda and Newark to run until October 26, providing a total of 210 flights in the year.

Wayne Furbert, the Minister of Transport, said that the extension of the service to Newark Liberty International Airport represented a 71 per cent increase in flights from 2019, when there were 123.

The service will be aboard the larger and newer 166-seat 737 Max 8 plane.

He said there may be a further extension of the service, which operated year-round in the past, based on operational capacity and depending on demand.

A spokeswoman for the ministry said: “United said they were pleased with the EWR to BDA route performance for the 2023 season and they are hopeful that there will be opportunities to continue to grow the service with additional seat capacity over the next three years.”

Mr Furbert and Bermuda’s air service development team met executives from United Airlines last Friday at the company’s headquarters in Chicago, Illinois.

The other members of the Bermuda contingent included Lester Nelson, the chief executive of the Bermuda Airport Authority; Aaron Adderley, the Skyport president; and Erin Smith, the chief operating officer for the Bermuda Tourism Authority.

Mr Furbert thanked United Airlines for its many years of direct air service between Newark and Bermuda, and agreed to continue to work with the airline to extend the seasonal schedule for the service.

He welcomed ongoing collaboration to strengthen the air service and to explore new air service opportunities within United’s network.