United Airline placed a record-breaking order for 100 Boeing 787 Dreamliners
The Chicago-based carrier United Airline announced an order for 100 Boeing 787 Dreamliners on Tuesday, along with an additional 100 options. This is the most significant order for widebody aircraft ever placed by a US carrier in the history of commercial aviation.
In a conference call with the media on Monday, United CFO Gerry Laderman said that while the alternatives are an “opportunity” to extend its network, the first 100 are considered replacement planes.
Another sizable aircraft order from United Airlines will enhance its Boeing fleet.
According to a news statement from United CEO Scott Kirby, “United emerged from the epidemic as the world's leading global airline and the flag carrier of the United States.”
“This order accelerates our strategy to link more people to more places across the world and give the finest experience in the sky, further solidifying our position and creating new opportunities for our customers, staff, and shareholders.”
Beginning in 2024, the new jets' delivery will include Polaris business class, United premium plus, economy plus, and standard economy. The -8, -9, or -10 variants are available to the airline, which it claims will provide it “flexibility to support a wide range of routes.”
The order was placed just a few months after Boeing received approval from the Federal Aviation Administration to resume 787 deliveries following a year-long production problem.
The purchase of 100 Boeing 737 MAX aircraft was also revealed on Tuesday. Of these, 44 were options that were exercised and will be delivered by 2026, and the remaining 56 were brand-new purchases and will be delivered between 2027 and 2028.
United withheld any financial details on the deal, but according to Reuters, the entire order value is $43 billion. However, it's possible that United negotiated a discount for a purchase of this size.
In a conference call with the media, United stated that the order will not affect its ongoing Airbus A350 order and that deliveries of those aircraft are now not anticipated to begin until 2030.
According to Reuters, the airline initially placed the purchase. After it boosted the quantity of A350 jets ordered to 35 in 2013 and subsequently to 45 in 2017, where it is now.
The purchases are a part of the airline's United Airline Next strategy, which also calls for the purchase of 270 narrowbody Boeing and Airbus aircraft in June 2021.
By the end of 2032, United predicts that there will have been more than 700 deliveries of both narrow-body and wide-body aircraft.
With 100 of the widebodies replacing aging Boeing 767s and some Boeing 777s. The firm has not decided when the remaining 777s will be replaced, the carrier told the media.
The carrier stated the entire fleet will be retired by 2030, decreasing carbon emissions by 25%, increasing cargo capacity, and delivering more premium cabins, United CCO Andrew Nocella told the reporters on the call. It won't be long before United's 767s are history.
Following the type's retirement by American Airlines in April 2020, the change was made. Although Delta had earlier stated that it intended to retire its 767s in 2025, it has since changed its mind.
The purchase will assist United in extending its global reach. By serving approximately 300 worldwide destinations from its seven US hubs, the carrier already has the largest network across the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.
United's transatlantic network expanded significantly in 2021 alone, reaching destinations including Amman, Jordan, and Ponta Delgada, Portugal.
Although United aims to add 2,500 more pilots and 4,000 more flight attendants in 2023, the enlarged network will require more staff members. In total, the airline hired 15,000 new employees in 2022 and anticipates doing the same in 2023.
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