United Airlines Takes Delivery of Three A321neos in Less Than a Week

United Airlines has taken delivery of three Airbus A321neo narrowbody aircraft in less than a week, underscoring the carrier’s rapid fleet expansion as it continues to modernize its single-aisle operations.

According to data from FlightAware, United received two A321neos on December 29, 2025, following the delivery of another aircraft just before Christmas. With these additions, the Chicago-based airline now operates 56 A321neos with an average fleet age of approximately one year, according to our and other media research data.

United has a total of 149 A321neos on order and is also awaiting delivery of 50 Airbus A321XLR aircraft, which are expected to play a key role in the airline’s future long-range narrowbody strategy.

Flight tracking data shows that all three newly delivered aircraft arrived at Tampa International Airport. The first aircraft, registered as N14565, arrived on December 23 after departing from Mobile International Airport. The remaining two aircraft, registrations N34562 and N14563, were delivered from Mobile on December 29.

Mobile, Alabama, serves as Airbus’ primary U.S. production site for A220 and A320-family aircraft. The manufacturer assembles A321 models, including the A321neo, at its U.S. Manufacturing Facility in Mobile. Since opening in 2015, the site has produced hundreds of A320-family aircraft, with the first Alabama-built A321 delivered to JetBlue in 2016. Airbus now employs more than 2,000 workers across its manufacturing and engineering operations in the state.

Airbus Revises 2025 Delivery Outlook

Airbus recently revised its 2025 aircraft delivery target, lowering expectations to approximately 790 aircraft from a previously stated goal of 820. The company cited supplier quality issues affecting metal fuselage panels on the A320 family as the primary reason for the adjustment.

As of November 2025, Airbus had delivered 657 aircraft to 87 customers worldwide, meaning an additional 133 aircraft would need to be delivered to reach the revised target. Industry data shows that Airbus delivered around 29 aircraft during the first half of December, reflecting a slower-than-average pace for the month.

The European manufacturer delivered 72 aircraft to 42 customers in November, down 12% year over year and below October’s total of 78 deliveries, which had marked the year’s high point. The weaker November performance prompted Airbus to formally lower its annual delivery forecast.

According to reporting by Reuters, the delivery slowdown is linked to fuselage panels supplied by Sofitec Aero that were produced at an incorrect thickness. Internal Airbus documents reportedly show that 628 A320-family aircraft have been flagged for inspection, including 168 already in service, 245 on final assembly lines, and 215 in earlier stages of production.

In addition, Airbus faced further operational disruption in late November after software issues affecting the A320 family led to the temporary grounding of several thousand aircraft. On November 28, 2025, Airbus issued instructions to ground certain A320-family jets after investigators linked a midair incident to a software anomaly triggered by solar radiation, with an estimated 6,000 aircraft affected.

Despite ongoing supply-chain and technical challenges, United Airlines continues to take delivery of new A321neo aircraft as planned, reinforcing its long-term commitment to fleet renewal and narrowbody growth.

Sources: AirGuide Business airguide.info, bing.com, Reuters.com, flightaware.com