United Airlines, a renowned Chicago based American airline, reportedly announced that it has placed an order for 50 new long-range Airbus jets, adding another notch from an American airline in the belt of Boeing’s European competitor. The airline has specifically ordered 50 new Airbus A321XLR planes that would be replacing its aging fleet of Boeing 757-200s and plans to start using the new planes for international flights by 2024. United Airlines is planning to fly the single-aisle, jet planes with a longer-range, from the East Coast hubs of Washington and Newark to Europe. Airbus has increased the extended range of A321XLR by 15% compared with its standard long-range A321. The airline carrier is the most recent to go for the planes among several other U.S. airlines. American Airlines and JetBlue have already agreed to ordered some of the single-aisle extended-range planes that are being developed by Airbus. The decision to replace older Boeing fleet comes as the American aerospace company is crippled by the crisis revolving around its 737 Max planes following two crashes. The crisis is stopping it from devoting its energy to design an all new mid-market plane. Meanwhile, Boeing has also been contemplating a twin-aisle plane that would be larger than its 737s but smaller than its 787s. Increased range and fuel-efficiency are alluring airlines to go for long routes through smaller planes as they look to control their respective operating costs. United Airlines further stated that it is postponing orders of the large Airbus A350 planes as well. Guillaume Faury, CEO, Airbus, reportedly stated that the single-aisle planes could be used for long distances and to connect cities that previously had no possibilities of connection with a good business case. About United Airlines: United Airlines is a major American airline and is the 3rd largest airlines in the world. The airlines operate a large international and domestic route network, with a large-scale presence in the Asia-Pacific region. It is also a founding member of Star Alliance, the world’s biggest airline alliance with approximately 28 member airlines. Source credit: https://www.cnbc.com/2019/12/03/united-orders-50-new-airbus-long-range-jets-to-replace-boeing-757s.html