United Airlines operates more than 970 aircraft in its mainline fleet, with a mix of older and newer planes it its inventory. Presently they still operate a number of older birds, heavily relying on its Boeing 757s and 767s for transatlantic and transcon routes.
Their Boeing 757s have proven very useful because of its high power to weight ratio and smaller cabin. They are able to comfortably service a number of less trafficked European fields that a 767 might be overkill for.
Unfortunately they are also quite old, averaging 25 years, with their oldest batch being just over 30 years. While they perform quite well in the markets they operate, their age shows as they also spend a lot of time in the maintenance hangars.
With no direct Boeing replacement, United decided to order 50 Airbus A321XLRs which boast an operating range of 4,700 nautical miles (about 11 hours non-stop). Of course these numbers may vary depending on United’s choice of configuration, but they are set to completely replace the carrier’s fleet of 61 Boeing 757s.
In an Insider interview with United’s SVP of Global Network Planning and Alliances, Patrick Quayle, he said that their upcoming A321XLRs will eventually take over all of carrier’s 757 routes, and expects the first XLR to be delivered in December 2025.
The A321XLRs are expected to operate mostly on international routes, focusing on smaller but equally important markets. However routes such as those to the Hawaiian island chain, and Newark to Lima run may see continued 757 service, or maybe a swap to a different aircraft type as they don’t plan on using XLRs for those flights any time soon.
“We use the 757 to fly to smaller markets like Tenerife, Spain, and Reykjavik.
“The 757 is getting a bit uneconomic, but we want to continue flying to these cities, and the A321XLR is longer-ranged and has much better fuel burn and maintenance costs.”
Credit: Raymond Wambsgans/Flickr | CC BY 2.0 GenericEven though no definitive timeline has been publicly confirmed yet, it wouldn’t be surprising to see United’s 757s being phased out from as early as 2026. That’s assuming the XLRs aren’t delayed of course.
On paper, there is no true replacement for the 757 yet. The XLR has much better range, at 4,700 nm, while the 757-200 can only fly about 3,900 nm. However with auxiliary fuel tanks being added to the XLR, it does come at the sacrifice of seating capacity. The XLR can accommodate up to 206 passengers while a 757 can seat between 200-240 passengers.
As Boeing has not been able to develop a New Midsize Airplane (NMA) in a timely manner, Airbus is reaping the rewards as airlines have grown tired of waiting. Airbus has already racked up 317 XLR orders, with that number set to grow in the future.
Featured image: Steve Knight/Flickr | CC BY 2.0 Generic
