United is slated to phase out its fleet of Airbus A319s and A320s as it takes delivery of newer aircraft.
Currently, the Chicago-based airline has 78 A319s and 70 A320s in active service, according to fleet data from Cirium. Roughly a dozen aircraft have been retired or placed in storage.
The A319s have an average age of 24 years, while the A320s are nearly 26 years old.
The airline’s chief commercial officer, Andrew Nocella, shared that United plans to retire the “lower-margin” A319 and A320 aircraft by 2030.
“This gauge increase is a proven formula for margin growth and accelerates as we retire smaller, lower-margin A319 and A320 aircraft from our fleet by 2030,” he said during a recent earnings call, noting an increased pace in A321neo deliveries.
‘Critical Mass’
United’s 200-seat A321neo fleet will reach “critical mass” in the coming years, Nocella added, “helping drive better customer experience, but also creating cost convergence with others.” The airline took delivery of its first A321neo in October 2023, and now has 49 in active service.
“United’s hubs can support this higher gauge and allows us to accept more basic economy passengers at a profit,” he continued.
The carrier has over 200 A321neo aircraft still on order, including 50 of the longer-range A321XLR variant.
