Yesterday, United Airlines' 24-gate expansion at Denver International Airport was officially signed off. With the carrier holding an even greater presence in the capital of Colorado, it could be looking into adding new long haul routes from the hub.

United Airlines Denver
Sale and leaseback agreements are nothing new in the industry. Photo: Getty Images

No slowing down

The Chicago-based airline has seen a strong period of expansion when it comes to its long-distance operations. It recently added ambitious services to Cape Town and New Delhi from its hubs at Newark and San Francisco, respectively.

Additionally, United has been working hard to overhaul all of its long haul fleet with reconfigured cabins. Altogether, the airline is showing its intent on continuing to grow its international expansions.

Currently, the firm has seen success in flights to the likes of Frankfurt, London, and Tokyo from Denver.The positive response of the latter two destinations has spurred United to switch the aircraft used to a Boeing 787-9 to offer more daily seats. Additionally, the London route was switched from a seasonal service to year-round since the end of last year.

United Polaris
United has been targeting new business segments with its Polaris reconfigurations. Photo: United Airlines

Transatlantic triumphs

With this success in the United Kingdom in mind, the carrier could be interested in serving more destinations in the country from Denver. It currently flies to Manchester, Edinburgh, and Glasgow from Newark. Therefore, with London seeing progress from Denver, these other UK metropolises could be added.

There could also be new routes across the Irish Sea. United will launch a new route between San Francisco and Dublin from June 5th, 2020. It has highlighted the growing technology market in Dublin as the perfect opportunity to connect Silicon Valley with Ireland.

With Denver also seeing economic growth with modern industries, it could be a natural move to also connect it with Ireland's capital.

European markets

United could also expand on its other transatlantic services to the likes of Madrid, Paris, and Amsterdam by having them also depart from Denver. It could also be incentivized to serve Italy from the city.

Currently, Norwegian operates flights between Denver and Rome but with United recently adding Palermo to its list, it could be interested in adding more Italian routes to its network.

United Airlines Fleet
The move will raise short-term cash for the airline. Photo: Getty Images

Latin American opportunities

Following Delta's acquisition of LATAM, United could be pushed into adding more South American routes from North America. Bogotá and Lima are often commended for being useful connecting points across the Andes and the Amazon. United has great opportunities for connectivity thanks to its Star Alliance partners of Copa and Avianca

Therefore, United may consider adding Denver on top of Houston and Newark as departing points for the two cities. Additionally, Brazil is set to become a more dominant global economic force this decade. So, United may want to add another route to São Paulo or Rio de Janeiro.

The world is their oyster

Altogether, the operator is in a prime position to take its international expansion mission to the next level with these additional Denver gates. With an ever-expanding presence at airports across North America, it can offer tourists and professionals greater connectivity from regions that were previously not as well served.

Simple Flying reached out to United for comment on what new routes we could expect with these gate additions. We will update the article with any further announcements.

What new routes do you expect to see with United Airlines' additional gates at Denver? Let us know what you think in the comment section.