United Airlines Rumored To Be ‘Undisclosed’ Customer Ordering 51 Additional Airbus A321neos

European planemaking giant Airbus reportedly received a new order for more than 50 A321neos in April. While order announcements typically include the purchaser’s identity, the company did not specify which customer signed the deal to acquire the fuel-efficient aircraft.

As such, rumors have been circulating among the friendly skies that Chicago-based United Airlines may be behind the order. It comes as the US legacy carrier revised its fleet plans to exclude the Boeing 737 MAX 10 until after next year.

Inside the order

According to Aero Telegraph, Airbus received orders for 57 aircraft from three different customers last month. The overwhelming majority – 51 aircraft – were designated as A321neo orders, but the customer remains unspecified. At one point, the order book indicated that British Airways had ordered three A320neos and two A321neos, but its parent company, the International Airlines Group (IAG), reportedly canceled the order.

Photo: Lukas Souza | Simple Flying

In a fleet discussion forum on Airliners.net, one person alleged last week that United placed the order for the 51 jets.

“Airbus booked an order for 51 A321NEOs in April from an undisclosed customer, United?”

Waiting to announce at the end of Q2?

Another person shared their assumption that “unidentified orders are never from US airlines” due to regulations from the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) mandating “companies to disclose big capital expenses” to their shareholders.

However, the regulations reportedly require companies to share significant purchases quarterly, meaning that if United indeed ordered additional A321neos, it could be a few more months before its announcement.

“So, UA could be behind this order and not let it be known publicly legally until their Q2 SEC filings,” a third user on the forum commented.

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United announced its first-quarter 2024 financial results on April 16th. According to the forum, Airbus finalized the A321neo order from the undisclosed customer on April 18th. It is also worth noting that the airline will undergo a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) audit due to a string of safety incidents in recent months. In a statement to Simple Flying last month, the FAA said it would “initiate an evaluation” of the carrier “under the provisions of the Certificate Holder Evaluation Process.” According to Travel Weekly, the Department of Transportation’s Office of the Inspector General will conduct the audit, which is set to begin later this month.

Photo: Robin Guess | Shutterstock

United took delivery of its first A321neo in October of last year, marking the first time it had received a new Airbus aircraft in over two decades. The aircraft’s inaugural flight occurred on December 1, 2023, from George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) to Chicago O’Hare International Airport. Since then, the carrier has taken delivery of eight planes and has doubled down on its satisfaction with the aircraft type. According to ch-aviation, the airline has a whopping 122 more on order, up from its initial order of 70 examples of the type.

MAX 10 troubles

Amid Boeing’s crisis, which has caused significant delivery delays this year, United and other airlines have had to reanalyze their fleet plans. In March, the carrier removed the 737 MAX 10 from its 2024 fleet plan and pushed expected deliveries to take place after 2025.

According to its 10-K filing on March 1st, United has 277 firm commitments for the MAX 10 and 126 for the A321neo. However, considering the MAX 10 has yet to receive FAA certification, the carrier could subsequently cancel some orders and replace them with another A321neo order. Simple Flying contacted the airline for comment late Sunday, but a representative could not be immediately reached.

While it is clear that Boeing’s complications negatively impact United, another forum commenter stated that should the A321neo rumors be true, the airline’s effort to compete with American Airlines and Delta Air Lines, which also operate the aircraft, may have persuaded its decision to remain anonymous.

“I don’t know why UA would need to keep them unidentified, when everyone knew they were looking for these planes. Are they worried that DL or AA will try to swoop in for some slots if they get proof that UA is successful?

It is no secret that United is in the market for additional A321neos. Simple Flying previously reported that the airline was considering a deal with aircraft lessors to obtain more than 30 aircraft to account for lost capacity from the MAX 10.

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