As United Airlines gets ready to replace its 50 or so aging 767s, whose average age is 21 years, it’s looking for a new mid-size workhorse to replace them, and the usual suspects are bidding for the business. At list prices, which airlines don’t pay, the deal could be worth about $14 billion.
United is flying the 767s, its oldest planes, with up to 242 passengers, a size range that nicely matches the 787-9, which United already flies, and the Airbus A330neo, which it doesn’t fly. But it does have over 40 A350s on order, and they share a cockpit design with the A330. So, for an outsider, it’s hard to guess how the decision will go.
For Airbus, it’s an important deal, and they might be willing to deal a bit to regain sales momentum; American just chose 787 over A330 for a new order of 47 planes, and Hawaiian actually cancelled its A330neo order and switched to 787-9 earlier this year.
