After saying the Boeing 737 MAX-10 is “out of internal plans,” United Airlines is reportedly close to securing a deal to replace them with the Airbus A321neo.
Boeing could face yet another setback to the 737 MAX-10 – this time from lost orders.
Bloomberg reports the Chicago-based airline could be close to securing numerous Airbus A321neo aircraft in place of their long-delayed 737 MAX-10 orders.
United Could Take Around 36 Airbus A321neo Airframes
Consideration of the Airbus A321neo can be directly tied to the Boeing 737 MAX door plug blowout incident aboard Alaska Airlines Flight 1262. In the days after, the Federal Aviation Administration announced a prohibition on expanding 737 MAX production until further notice.
After the incident, United chief executive officer Scott Kirby told investors that the 737 MAX-10 was “out of internal plans” due to additional uncertainty. In comments during the J.P. Morgan Industrials Conference on Tuesday, March 12, 2024, Bloomberg reports Kirby said they have asked Boeing to “stop building MAX-10s…and start building MAX-9s.” Moreover, Kirby called the issues with the 737 MAX-10 “a two-decade issue,” saying he is glad the company is working through the issues.
According to company insiders speaking to Bloomberg under anonymity, those MAX-10 orders could be replaced by the Airbus A321neo. Under a deal which may be in “final negotiations,” United could be looking at around 36 airframes from aircraft lessors. If completed, they would be delivered between 2025 and 2027.
At the J.P. Morgan conference, Kirby noted that the airline could be interested in acquiring Airbus planes “if we get a deal where the economics work.” Neither Airbus nor United provided public comment when asked about a potential deal.
The comments by Kirby at the J.P. Morgan conference come after Southwest Airlines CEO Bob Jordan had similarly scathing comments about Boeing. After the Dallas-based airline blamed Boeing for slower capacity growth, Jordan said Boeing needed to “be a better company.”
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