United is negotiating for a large Airbus A350 or Boeing 787 widebody order

United Airlines is reportedly negotiating with Boeing and Airbus for a sizeable widebody aircraft order which may be placed by the end of 2022.

Scott Kirby has been a regular visitor to United Airlines’ pilot training center in Denver. According to Seeking Alpha, it is rumored that on a recent visit to the training center, Kirby shared with the pilots that United is considering a large order of widebody aircraft soon.

In a pilot contract sub-forum on the Airline Pilot Forums website, someone posted that Kirby stated that the airline will choose between the Boeing 787 or Airbus A350 aircraft families and that it will likely be a winner-takes-all scenario. Supposedly, Kirby added that the order could be for more than 100 aircraft, almost the size of American Airlines’ entire widebody fleet.

A350 vs 787 – Sticking with the 787 seems like United’s best option
United already has an order for Airbus A350 aircraft, initially placed in 2010. The original order was for 25 Airbus A350-900 aircraft. By 2017 the order had been modified multiple times, and the airline changed its existing order from 35 A350-1000 to 45 A350-900 aircraft.

In December 2019, United announced that it was deferring its first delivery of the A350-900. As of today, United still has an order for those 45 A350-900s, and it is rumored that United is willing to consider the cancellation fee for both the Airbus aircraft and the Rolls-Royce engines which power the A350s. Though Rolls-Royce does manufacture engines for the 787, United’s current Dreamliner fleet is powered by GE engines.

United’s A350 order has long been considered archived and headed towards an eventual cancellation or conversion. Two other factors that play into Boeing’s hand are the cost of pilot training and maintenance costs. If United were to add the A350, it would be the first widebody type of a different manufacturer in the airline’s fleet, generating high training and operational costs. Additionally, Delta Air Lines currently holds the maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) contract for Rolls-Royce engines that power the A350. If United took delivery of the A350, Delta would directly benefit from it.

New United narrowbodies
Last summer, United placed the most significant order by a single airline in a decade and the largest ever in United States airline history. The order was for 270 Airbus and Boeing Aircraft, split by 200 Boeing 737 MAX aircraft and another 70 Airbus A321neo aircraft. At the time of the order, United had commitments for a total of 380 Boeing 737 MAX aircraft, including the ones already delivered. The new order included 50 of the MAX 8 variant and 150 of the larger MAX 10 variant, which is still in production and certification. Last week, the first MAX 10 was spotted with United Airlines colors in Washington state. simpleflying.com