The airline is bolstering its narrowbody fleet.
United’s first A321neo arrives in Houston (Photo: United Airlines)
United has finalized its plans to lease an additional 40 Airbus A321neo aircraft.
According to FlightGlobal, United didn’t publicly name the aircraft lessors. However, one company has since revealed its part in the deal with the airline. SMBC Aviation Capital claimed they were accounting for half of the deal, with 20 aircraft set to start being delivered in 2026.
The airline expects to start receiving the first leased aircraft by the end of this year, with deliveries ending in 2027. These should tie in with the 14 new aircraft coming in from Airbus before the end of the year, and a further 26 in 2025.
United still faces uncertainty around delivery of the Boeing 737 MAX 10. The sibling to the MAX 9 and MAX 8 variants, the largest Boeing 737 model is still not certified, and won’t be until next year at the earliest.
The carrier has said that it hopes for the first deliveries of the 737 MAX 10 to begin in late 2026.
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