Flight UA76 using B757-200 N14106 (msn 27296) departed Belfast International for New York Newark for the last time on January 9, 2017, ending direct flights between the Northern Irish city and the United States. The flight also marks the end of long-haul flights from Belfast.

According to the Londonderry Sentinel, three other airlines are in discussions to replace the New York route, including Norwegian (Oslo Gardermoen).

United Airlines (UA, Chicago O'Hare) made the decision to pull out of the northern capital citing poor financial performance. A plan to retain the route through subsidies from the Northern Irish Executive was scuppered when it was found to be in breach of EU competition rules. Airport manager Graham Keddie has been openly hostile about the decision, taking to Twitter to exclaim "Am absolutely spitting useless faceless EU bureaucrats". In an official statement, he said "The EU decision-making process is abysmal, biased and unfair and has resulted in the loss of this service."

Data from the ch-aviation capacity module shows that Belfast International Airport is served with 56,000 seats weekly, with the top ten routes all domestic destinations within the United Kingdom.