Way back in 2010, United Airlines had initially ordered 25 Airbus A350-900s. Over the years, this deal has evolved several times. In 2017, the airline said that it was changing its existing order for 35 A350-1000 to 45 A350-900 widebody aircraft to replace older, less efficient aircraft. With 12 years having passed since the airline's initial order announcement and a number of first-delivery deferrals, where does the airline currently stand on its commitment to the type? Let's take a look in today's article.

Deferred until 2027?

In December of 2019, United Airlines announced that it would be deferring the first delivery of its Airbus A350-900 order. As reported by Aerotime, it was noted that the carrier would postpone the introduction of the new widebody type by a whopping seven years- from 2020 to 2027.

In retrospect, the decision to postpone could be seen as an extremely well-timed move, considering the pandemic would take its devastating toll on the travel and aviation industry for several years. However, with some airlines already reporting passenger numbers exceeding 2019 levels, can the airline afford to wait another five years? And considering the fact that United has constantly altered this order, will it actually follow through on its 2027 target?

For the time being, the 45 A350s ordered continue to appear in Airbus' order and delivery data, signaling that nothing has changed to this order over the past few years.

In terms of size and capacity, the A350-900 is a perfect replacement for the 777-200. Photo: Laurent Errera via Wikimedia Commons

United will eventually need to replace its 777-200s

As United Airlines' fleet of Boeing 777-200s continue to get older, the Airbus A350 continues to get more attractive as a replacement. At a length of 66.8 meters, the Airbus widebody offers a similar capacity, having nearly three meters more compared to the 777-200's 63.7 meters.

United's 777-200s now average 23 years of age. A mix of the standard -200 and -200ER, the 777-200 subfleet operates a mix of domestic and international services. The base -200 is typically tasked with performing shorter domestic hops such as Chicago to Los Angeles and New York to San Francisco. At the same time, the -200ERs operate longer services such as New York-Sao Paulo and Houston-Frankfurt.

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Part of the carrier's 777-200 fleet has been grounded since an incident with the type took place in February 2021. However, it appears that the 24 grounded jets may soon resume service, with an expectation of being reactivated in May.

The A350 looks ideal

In a 2017 statement from Airbus, it was announced that United's A350 order would "replace older, less efficient aircraft, supporting future growth at the airline." Considering the age of the 777-200s, 2022 would appear to be a perfect time for the start of a phasing-in of new A350s. However, it appears for now that United is holding on to its 2027 first-delivery date. It's a long time to be holding on to older-generation, less-efficient widebodies- especially when technology has progressed significantly over the last two decades.

By 2027, if all goes according to plan, the airline will be one-year-in to operating a fleet of 19-seat electric aircraft.

What do you think about this longstanding order? Do you think United will eventually accept the A350 into its fleet? Or will something change yet again? Let us know what you think by leaving a comment.

Sources: Aerotime, Planespotters.net