United received its 25th Airbus A321neo on Friday, registered as N44522. This is the second A321neo to join the carrier’s fleet this week, with N54525 arriving on Monday.
Both aircraft were manufactured at Airbus’ Mobile, Alabama facility before ferrying to Tampa for fleet induction.
According to data from the United Fleet Website, the airline has firm orders for 195 more A321neo and A321XLR aircraft. The Chicago-based carrier welcomed its first A321neo – United’s first new Airbus aircraft in over two decades – in December 2023.
The airline’s A321neo orders include 40 leased aircraft, a deal that was formalized earlier this year.
World’s Largest Mainline Fleet
Despite continued aircraft delivery delays at both Airbus and Boeing, United is poised to operate a fleet of around 1,000 active mainline aircraft in the coming months.
According to Cirium Fleet Analyzer data, the airline has just over 980 aircraft in its active fleet and 21 in storage. The tool marks narrowbody aircraft parked for 60 days and widebodies parked for 90 days as stored.
American has 969 active aircraft in service with 21 in storage. Delta follows with 966 in service and 87 in storage.
United continues to maintain the largest active airline fleet in the world. By the first quarter of 2025, the carrier plans to exceed 1,000 active mainline aircraft, although delivery delays might hamper that goal.
