United Airlines may be gearing up to order 10 new B777-300ERs, according to a report by Bloomberg.
Though the American carrier is the largest operator of the B777-200ER, it has never made a purchase of the B777-300ER variant before.
While both United and Boeing declined to comment, an order for 10 B777-300ERs wouldn't be that surprising given that the carrier has several ageing aircraft in its fleet. In particular, the introduction of the B777-300ER could pave the way for United to retire its B747-400. Both aircraft models offer similar capacity, but the newer model boasts superior fuel efficiency.
United already has an existing purchase order with Airbus for 35 of its A350-1000, which is designed to compete directly with the B777-300ER. However, one possible strategy explanation is that this could allow the airline to increase capacity on popular routes served by the B777-200ER.
Should the order be made, it would be valued at US$3.3 billion at list prices.
For more information, visit united.com
Clement Huang
