United Airlines is Considering Replacements for Boeing 767 and 757 Fleets
United Airlines has said it is considering replacement options for its fleet of 77 Boeing 757-200/757-300 and 51 Boeing 767s in the short term. The 757-200 fleet has an average age of 21.8 years. The 757-300 fleet is 15.5 years old on average. And the 767 have an average age of 22.7 years.
Airlines face a difficult decision with replacing 757s. Most are being replaced with Airbus A321s and Boeing 737-900ERs. However, neither Airbus nor Boeing have released an airplane with similar capacities to the 757-200 that have the capability to cross the Atlantic or fly South American routes.
Though not an exact match in capacity or capability, the Airbus A330neo and Boeing 787-8 have been identified as options for replacing the 767. United already has 787s in their fleet.
Boeing has said it is considering launching a new aircraft type that would seat 220-280 passengers and have a range near 7,000nm. This could be a good fit for replacing the 757/767s. However, any new aircraft would take many years to bring to market.
United airlines has also said it is considering long term plans to replace its Airbus A320 and Boeing 737-700 and 737-800 fleets.
Large fleet changes like can effect United Airlines Pilot Jobs. However, it is too early to tell what this effect would be.
United Airline’s Fleet
| Aircraft | Number in Fleet |
|---|---|
| B787-9 | 19 |
| B787-8 | 12 |
| B777-200ER | 55 |
| B777-200 | 19 |
| B767-400ER | 16 |
| B767-300ER | 35 |
| B757-300 | 21 |
| B757-200 | 56 |
| B747-400 | 17 |
| B737-900ER | 130 |
| B737-900 | 12 |
| B737-800 | 130 |
| B737 | 40 |
| A320 | 99 |
| A319 | 65 |
Greg started his professional pilot journey in 2002 after graduating from Embry Riddle. Since that time he has accumulated close to 8,000 hours working as a pilot. Greg’s professional experience includes flight instructing, animal tracking, backcountry flying, forest firefighting, passenger charter, part 135 cargo, flying for a regional airline, and working as a manager in charge of a part 135 and part 121 training programs. Greg took a 5 year hiatus from flying and worked in software development and marketing. He has returned to flying and works for a major airline. Greg enjoys educating and helping pilots improve their professional lives and is passionate about applying technology and new methods to help with traditional challenges.
