Kirby confirmed rumors that United is about to place a huge order for jets.
According to Kirby, United may announce an order as early as December 2022. It was confirmed by Live and Let's Fly.
Kirby didn't let the cat out of the bag, but it was clear that United is shopping for new aircraft. I have heard rumors for a year about United wanting to update its longhaul fleet.
There is an all-Boeing fleet of widebody aircraft with United. The average age of its entire fleet is 20 years, with 128 planes more than 20 years old. The average age of some of United's aircraft is 19.2 years, which is more than five years older than the rest of the fleet. The 767-300 fleet has been in use for over two decades.
Heavy maintenance requirements begin to push up operating costs as planes reach this age range. Even though United may be at that point already, it isn't surprising that it recognizes that its older aircraft are getting old.
My prediction is that United is trying to work out a deal with Boeing to replace its older 757s with either the next generation of 777 jets or the more advanced 787-9s. Kirby's "Triple" digit quip is a classic way of previewing what may be in the future. It is my belief that the 777 has not been ruled out.
I wouldn't discount the possibility of United buying an A330 or A350 aircraft, but they seem hesitant to add more widebody aircraft. There was an order for 25 A350-900 aircraft by United. In order to better align with the carrier's operational needs, deliveries were delayed until 2027.
United has an order for 50 of the A321XLR, which could be used to leverage a widebody deal through incentives.
Adding more Dreamliners and keeping the longhaual fleet efficient may be the best way to go.
I would love to see more wide bodies for United, but I think the best way to replace the older ones is with the 777X or more 787s. I'm not sure if United is trying to convince Boeing to revive the 767-300 with a new model, but it's one of my favorites. We will probably see more of them.
The new widebody aircraft order is being studied by United. An order may be around the corner, but deliveries are a long way off. I think that United will stick with Boeing and update its older fleet with a new generation of aircraft.
What do you think about United's new order?
This is a picture of United.
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