UNITED AIRLINES UNVEILS HISTORIC ORDER TO PURCHASE UP TO 200 NEW BOEING WIDEBODY AIRLINERS

On 12 December United Airlines announced the largest widebody order by a US carrier in commercial aviation history: 100 Boeing 787 Dreamliners with options to purchase 100 more. This historic purchase is the next chapter in the ambitious United Next plan and will bolster the airline's leadership role in global travel for years to come.

United expects to take delivery of the new widebody planes between 2024 and 2032 and can choose among the 787-8, 9 or 10 models, providing flexibility to support a wide range of routes. United also exercised options to purchase 44 Boeing 737 MAX aircraft for delivery between 2024 and 2026, consistent with the United Next 2026 capacity plan. In addition, the airline has ordered 56 more MAX aircraft for delivery between 2027 and 2028. The airline now expects to take delivery of about 700 new narrow and widebody aircraft by the end of 2032, including an average of more than two every week in 2023 and more than three every week in 2024.

In addition, United continues its unprecedented effort to upgrade the interiors of its existing fleet. More than 90% of the carrier’s international widebodies now feature the United Polaris® business class seat, as well as United Premium Plus® seating. Upgrades for the remaining aircraft will be completed by the summer of 2023. United also will retrofit 100% of its mainline, narrow-body planes with its signature interior; about 100 aircraft are scheduled to be completed in 2023 with the remaining expected to be completed by the end of 2025. Approximately 100 planes of the new widebody order are expected to replace older Boeing 767 and Boeing 777 aircraft, with all 767 aircraft removed from the United fleet by 2030, resulting in up to an expected 25% decrease in carbon emissions per seat for the new planes compared to the older planes they are expected to replace.