United Airlines Orders 40 Airbus A321neos

An order for 40 A321neos previously listed by Airbus as an undisclosed customer is from United Airlines.

The 40 aircraft are slated for delivery post-2030, United confirmed, declining to comment further. The order was placed on March 10, according to a recent Orders and Deliveries report from Airbus.

In 2025, United expects to take delivery of four A321neos in the second quarter, while awaiting another 18 Airbus aircraft in the back half of 2025. In early 2024, United had announced it was “in the market” for the type after removing the Boeing 737-10 from its immediate fleet plan amid uncertain certification timelines. An A321 order hinged on whether “we get a deal [where] the economics work,” CEO Scott Kirby said in March 2024. It has since become “more bullish” on the -10, citing progress from Boeing.

The carrier’s new order was disclosed in the latest Orders and Deliveries report from Airbus.

Previously, United signed an agreement for 60 A321neos in October 2023, building on earlier orders for 50 A321XLRs and 70 A321neos. The airline will also begin taking delivery of 40 leased A321neos in 2026. Among its in-service fleet of 961 aircraft are 37 A321neos, according to the Aviation Week Network Fleet Discovery database, or about 20% of its in-service Airbus aircraft.

Though Boeing accounts for the majority of its future total orders, United has the largest Airbus orderbook among U.S. airlines, with 260 pending, Fleet Discovery shows.