United Airlines is one of the largest carriers in the world by fleet size. The Chicago-headquartered Star Alliance founding member has well over 800 aircraft at its disposal, with jets of varying shapes and sizes from multiple manufacturers. Let’s take a closer look.
Boeing narrowbodies
According to data from ch-aviation.com, United Airlines’ present fleet consists of a whopping 866 aircraft. Just over half of these (460 planes) are narrowbody aircraft produced by US-based manufacturing juggernaut Boeing. They come from the 757 and 737 families.
As far as the 757 is concerned, United flies 51 examples of the standard 757-200, with an average age of 25.4 years old. Its 21 stretched-fuselage 757-300s are younger, at 19.5 years old on average. Simple Flying took a closer look at United’s 757-300 operations in 2021.
The dominant force at United when it comes to Boeing narrowbodies is the 737NG (‘Next Generation) series. The wide-reaching US legacy carrier flies four variants of this sub-family, with the oldest being its 53 737-700s. The airline also has 141 examples of the popular 737-800, 12 stretched 737-900s, and 136 extended ranger 737-900ERs at its disposal.
United has also begun modernizing its narrowbody fleet with the addition of aircraft from the new Boeing 737 MAX family. To date, it has received 16 737 MAX 8s and 30 MAX 9s. It also has outstanding orders for 67 and 36 of these respectively, as well as 255 MAX 10s.
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Airbus narrowbodies
Unlike at Southwest Airlines, whose sizeable fleet Simple Flying explored yesterday, United’s narrowbody setup isn’t an all-Boeing affair. Indeed, it also flies two Airbus A320ceo (‘Current Engine Option’) variants. The most numerous design from this series is the A319-100, of which it presently has 97. Another six are set to arrive from easyJet in years to come.
Moving up in size but ever so slightly down in number, there are also 96 Airbus A320-200s in United’s present fleet. At 23.5 years on average, these are rather old in the grand scheme of things. However, the airline’s Airbus narrowbody fleet will get a more youthful feel in the coming years with the arrival of some 120 extra long-range A321XLRs.
Boeing widebodies
Long-haul flights also form a key part of United’s day-to-day operations. For these services, the carrier has a large widebody fleet that consists entirely of Boeing jets. This is, however, set to change, as the carrier has 45 examples of the Airbus A350-900 on order.
United’s oldest widebodies are its Boeing 767s. The carrier flies 38 767-300ERs, as well as 18 rare 767-400ERs. These are 26 and 20.4 years old on average respectively.
United’s Boeing 777 fleet is a mixed bag when it comes to the aircraft’s average ages. Some of them are rather old, with its 19 777-200s and 55 777-200ERs sporting respective average ages of 24.9 and 21.9 years. Meanwhile, the figure for its 22 777-300ERs is just 4.1.
The most modern widebody jets that United flies are its aircraft from the 787 ‘Dreamliner’ family. Its fleet features all three variants, with the least numerous being the short-fuselage 787-8. The mid-size 787-9 ranks highest with 38 examples present, with the stretched 787-10 completing the set with 13 examples. United also has 10 more 787-10s on order.
What do you make of United Airlines’ colossal fleet? Which of its jets do you most enjoy flying on? Let us know your thoughts and experiences in the comments!
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