Scott Kirby, CEO of United Airlines, stated that the company has no interest in aircraft in the 100-130 seat class, such as Embraer's E-Jets and Airbus' A220. This morning United announced the acquisition of 200 Boeing 737 MAX and 70 Airbus A321XLR.
Talking to Flightglobal, Kirby made it clear that larger jets will be the anchor of United's future fleet, stating that today the company is not in the market “for jets that seat 100 to 130 engers”.
In the years before the coronavirus pandemic, United executives said the airline was considering an order for a 100-seat aircraft, specifically an E-Jet variant, an A220, or possibly the slightly larger 737 Max 7, which can carry about 138 seats in two classes.
In addition to the 270 737 MAX 8 and 10 and A321neo, it intends to operate just 100 aircraft with 50 engers. In 2019, there were 300 aircraft of this class in the fleet, says the portal. These smaller aircraft will be replaced by newly acquired aircraft, which represents a 30% increase in the number of seats offered by the North American company. Executives emphasize that United believes its hubs and route network can jets carrying more engers.
