In-Depth Analysis: United Airlines’ 2019 Fleet Plan
A Boeing 787-9 in flight
The airline operates 18 Boeing 777-300ER twin-engine wide-body aircraft, which are the largest in its fleet. All of these aircraft have new Polaris interiors. United will add two additional 777-300ERs in 2019 and two more after 2019.
It also flies 55 Boeing 777-200ER wide-body aircraft as well as 19 777-200s. Thus far, 25% of the 777-200ERs, or 13 of the 55, have been retrofitted with the new Polaris cabin. United says that the remaining aircraft will be retrofitted by the end of 2020.
United is the only airline to operate all three types of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner. It has 12 787-8s, 25 787-9s, and 3 787-10s, with a total of 33. The 787-10s are all being delivered with new Polaris interiors. It will add eight more 787-10s in 2019 and three after 2019. It has not yet begun to install the Polaris interiors on the older Dreamliners, however.
A United Airbus A320
AIRBUS
United also has firm orders for 45 Airbus A350-900s, with deliveries slated to run from 2022 to 2027. These aircraft will replace the 777-200 and older 777-200ER aircraft.
The carrier operates a total of 170 aircraft in the Airbus A320 family, which includes the A319, the A320, and the A321. The only additions to its Airbus fleet in 2019 will be the acquisition of ten used Airbus A319s, previously operated by China Southern Airlines. It will also retire two A319s and four A320s in the course of the year.
(Photo: Accura Media Group)
