United Airlines ready for post-covid win! Orders 270 new Boeing & Airbus aircraft

United airlines is all set to win the post-covid growth graph! The airline orders 270 new aircraft from Boeing and Airbus.

United Airlines executives described the order – the biggest in the company’s history. Described as a landmark moment symbolising the radically improved outlook for travel due to COVID-19 vaccines.

United Airlines announcement today

United Airlines announced on June 29 a huge new plane order with Boeing and Airbus. Till now, it is the biggest bet thus far by a major carrier on a travel industry recovery from COVID-19.

The US carrier plans to acquire 270 new planes consisting of 200 Boeing aircraft and 70 Airbus jets. The order would be valued at $35.4 billion based on the listed price of the jets. Although airlines often end up paying much less than the list price.

A landmark moment for the company

United executives described the order — the biggest in the airline’s history — as a landmark moment symbolizing the radically improved outlook for travel due to coronavirus vaccines.

Downfall and loss amid covid-19

Still, United and other major airlines are expected to report another quarterly loss for the April-June period.

• So, when they release their earnings reports in July, it will be reflecting the continued drag of a travel crisis that has devastated travel revenue for more than a year.

United's business travel volumes are still down by 60% with international travel off even more, said United Chief Executive Scott Kirby.

What does the CEO intervened?

”We’re not back to 100 percent,” Kirby said on a conference call with reporters in which he outlined how the company leaders had strategized on its needs early in the pandemic.

“Because we accurately mapped out the trajectory of the crisis in March and April of last year, it’s really allowed us to be prepared and make the right short- and long-term decisions,” he added remarking the crisis times.

Company officials were not asked about the so-called Delta virus variant. We are all aware how it is spreading rapidly in many parts of the world, during the hour-long conference call.

But the announcement illustrates broad confidence in the industry’s prospects even as the pandemic evolves.

Narrow-body aims

The biggest component of the order will be 150 of Boeing’s new 737 MAX 10, which is still undergoing tests in a process closely monitored by US regulators.

The other two components are 50 Boeing 737 MAX 8 and 70 Airbus A321neo.

• All three models are narrow-body jets, making them well-suited for domestic and shorter-distance trips.
• And, these have been among the first to see passenger numbers recover from the Covid-19 pandemic.

Both the Airbus model and the next-generation 737 MAX are bigger than earlier versions of the same aircraft, a feature especially beneficial for increasing capacity in New York, San Francisco and other markets where adding more flights is difficult or impossible, United officials said affirmatively.

Travel booking and passengers resumption

United officials made clear during the conference call that they have seen very recent signs of an acceleration in business travel bookings, with firms eager to resume client visits as they see their competitors returning to the skies.

Executives also said they were bullish about international travel, speaking of the summer of 2023 as being a "record breaker". It is as the US consumers make up for lost opportunities during the pandemic to visit Europe and Asia.

The new planes will include enhanced in-flight entertainment options aiming to delight consumers with access to games and thousands of shows and movies.

• In another step to please consumers, the company plans to upgrade its existing fleet of narrow-body planes to add more compartment space for luggage.

What do the aviation experts feeel about the mega-expensive decision?

Richard Aboulafia, an aviation expert at Teal Group, said purchases of the A321 and the 737 MAX — both single-aisle planes — make sense for the airline in the current market.

“The domestic markets are coming back pretty fast and fuel prices are coming back fast too,” Aboulafia said.

Airlines must make long-term bets to remain competitive, even if current market conditions still present significant problems, Aboulafia said. He also added that current low interest rates also encourage making purchases now.

Scott Hamilton of Leeham News, an aviation website, said he was surprised at the size of the order.

Boeing likely provided United an appealing discount because the company “has to rebuild its order book” after the MAX crisis, he said.

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