United Airlines fleet

United Airlines Boeing 787-9 in the most recent livery landing at Beijing Capital International Airport in April 2020

As of August 2026, the United Airlines fleet consists of 1,135 mainline aircraft,[1] the largest of any airline worldwide. United Airlines operates a mix of narrow-body aircraft from Airbus and Boeing and all Boeing wide-body aircraft with more wide-bodies than any other North American passenger airline.[2][3] The average age of United's fleet is 15.0 years.[1]

Strategy

The "United Next" strategy introduced during the COVID-19 pandemic is United Airlines' plan to modernize and expand its fleet while enhancing operational efficiency and the passenger experience. Unlike other major U.S. airlines, United retained its wide-body aircraft during the pandemic, allowing the airline to meet the surge in travel demand, especially internationally as recovery progressed.[4]

Since 2021, United has placed orders for over 500 various narrow-body jets and 150 wide-body Boeing 787 Dreamliner jets as part of its strategy, which also includes retiring older mainline aircraft and at least 200 single-class regional jets.[5][6][7]

The strategy emphasizes improving the passenger experience. United's "Signature Interior" concept features seatback entertainment systems with Bluetooth connectivity, power outlets at every seat, and larger overhead bins designed to accommodate a roller bag for each passenger. All new aircraft will include the updated interior, with retrofitting of existing mainline aircraft.[8] United has also selected SpaceX's Starlink as its in-flight internet connectivity provider for mainline and two-class regional aircraft. This high-speed, low-latency satellite internet service will enable live streaming, cloud-based work applications, and gaming with complimentary access provided to all passengers.[9]

United Airlines has also invested in and secured options for several aircraft under development. These include options to purchase 100 eVTOL (electric vertical takeoff and landing) aircraft from Archer Aviation[10] and 200 eVTOL aircraft from Eve Air Mobility, a division of Embraer.[11] Furthermore, the airline has committed to purchasing 100 ES-30 electric turboprop regional aircraft from Heart Aerospace, with options to purchase up to 50 more.[12] United has also committed to purchasing 15 Boom Overture supersonic aircraft, with options to purchase up to 35 more.[13]

Fleet

As of August 2026, United Airlines operates the following mainline aircraft:[1][14]

United Airlines fleet
Aircraft In service Orders Passengers Notes
J F W Y+ Y Total Refs
Airbus A319-100 70 — — 12 — 36 78 126 [15] To be retired by 2030.[16]
Airbus A320-200 64 — — 12 — 42 96 150 [17]
Airbus A321neo 73 83 — 20 — 57 123 200 [18] Deliveries until 2032.[19]
— 50 20 — 12 129 161 [20] "Coastliner" transcontinental configuration.
Deliveries to begin in 2026.[20][21]
Airbus A321XLR 1 49 20 — 12 36 82 150 [20][22] Replacing Boeing 757-200.[23][21][24]
Airbus A350-900 — 45 TBA Deliveries delayed until at least 2028 due to dispute with engine supplier Rolls-Royce.[25]
Boeing 737-700 40 — — 12 — 36 78 126 [26]
Boeing 737-800 141 — — 16 — 48 102 166 [27]
42 108
54 96
Boeing 737-900 12 — — 20 — 45 114 179 [28]
Boeing 737-900ER 136 — — 20 — 45 114 179 [28]
42 117
39 120
Boeing 737 MAX 8 123 — — 16 — 54 96 166 [27]
14 164 [27][29] Guam-based configuration.
Boeing 737 MAX 9 174 50 — 20 — 45 114 179 [28] Largest operator.[30]
Boeing 737 MAX 10 — 167 — 20 — 64 105 189 [31] Production halted amid certification uncertainties; orders may be converted to MAX 8 or 9.[32][33] Deliveries to begin in 2027.[34]
22 — 45 96 163
Boeing 757-200 40 — 16 — — 42 118 176 [35] To be replaced by Airbus A321XLR.[23][21]
Boeing 757-300 21 — — 24 — 54 156 234 [36] Largest operator.[8]
Boeing 767-300ER 13 — 30 — 24 32 113 199 [37]
24 46 22 43 56 167
Boeing 767-400ER 16 — 34 — 24 48 125 231 [38]
Boeing 777-200 19 — — 28 — 102 234 364 [39] Launch customer and largest operator.[40]
Domestic configuration.[41]
Boeing 777-200ER 51 — 50 — 24 46 156 276 [39]
4 — 32 — 124 206 362 Domestic configuration.[41]
Boeing 777-300ER 22 — 60 — 24 62 204 350 [42]
Boeing 787-8 12 — 28 — 21 36 158 243 [43]
Boeing 787-9 48 37 48 — 21 39 149 257 [44]
10 37 64 35 33 90 222 [45] 50 Options[46]
Boeing 787-10 21 56 44 — 21 54 199 318 [47] Orders converted from 787-9. Deliveries begin in 2028.[48]
Total 1,135 574

Historical fleet

United Airlines former fleet
Aircraft Total Introduced Retired Replacement Notes
Boeing 40A Unknown 1927 1937 Unknown Launch customer.
Operated by Boeing Air Transport[49] and Varney Air Lines.
Boeing 80A Unknown 1928 1934 Unknown Launch customer.
Operated by Boeing Air Transport.
Boeing 247 59[50] 1933 1942 Unknown Launch customer.
All base models were built for United Airlines.[51]
Boeing 377 Stratocruiser 7[50] 1950 1954 Unknown
Boeing 720 29[50] 1960 1976 Boeing 727-200 Launch customer.
Boeing 727-100 126 1963 1993 Boeing 737-500 Three crashed as Flight 389, Flight 227, and Flight 266.
Boeing 727-200 104 1968 2001 Airbus A320 family
Bombardier CRJ-700
Boeing 737-200 101 1968 2001 Launch customer.
Two crashed as Flight 553 and Flight 585.
Boeing 737-300 103 1986 2009
Boeing 737-500[52] 73 1990 2009
29 2010 2013 Boeing 737-900ER Former Continental Airlines fleet.
Boeing 747-100 23 1970 1999 Boeing 747-400
Boeing 777-200/200ER		 One was damaged as Flight 811, but was later repaired and re-registered as N4724U.
Another was damaged as Flight 826.
Boeing 747-200B 10 1987 2000
Boeing 747SP 11 1985 1995 Boeing 747-400
Boeing 767-300ER
Boeing 777-200		 Former Pan Am fleet.
Boeing 747-400 44 1989 2017 Boeing 777-200ER
Boeing 777-300ER		 Largest operator of Boeing 747-400 in United States.
Boeing 757-200 99 1989 2020 Boeing 737-900ER
Airbus A321neo		 One hijacked and crashed into a field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania as United Airlines Flight 93, as part of the September 11 attacks.

40 remain in service as of 2026.

Boeing 767-200 19 1982 2005 Boeing 757-200
Boeing 767-300ER
Boeing 777-200		 Launch customer.
Many were later upgraded to -ER standards.
One hijacked and crashed into the South Tower of the World Trade Center as Flight 175, as part of the September 11 attacks.
Boeing 767-200ER[53] 10 2010 2013 Former Continental Airlines fleet.
Boeing 767-300ER 3 1991 2022 Boeing 787 Dreamliner One scrapped due to paint corrosion.[54]

37 remain in service as of 2026.

Boeing 777-200 3 1995 2006 One sold to Air India

Two sold to Varig

Boeing 777-200ER 5 1997 2005 Three sold to Air India

Two sold to Varig

Convair 340 52 1952 1968 Unknown
Douglas DC-3 118 1936 1956 Convair 340
Douglas DC-4 36 1946 1957 Unknown
Douglas DC-4E 1 1939 1939 None Used in trial service only.
Douglas DC-6 90 1946 1969 Unknown
Douglas DC-6B Unknown
Douglas DC-7 57 1954 1966 Unknown Two crashed as Flight 718 and Flight 736.
Douglas DC-8-10 2 1959 1961 None Two crashed as Flight 826 and Flight 859.
Douglas DC-8-20 30 1959 1982 Boeing 727-200
McDonnell Douglas DC-8-30 11 1967 1974
McDonnell Douglas DC-8-50 18 1959 1983
15 1964 1987 None Cargo fleet.
Two crashed as Flight 2860 and Flight 2885.
McDonnell Douglas DC-8-60 41 1967 1991 Boeing 757-200 One crashed as Flight 173.
McDonnell Douglas DC-8-70
Ford Trimotor Unknown 1931 Unknown Unknown Operated on a transcontinental route between New York City and San Francisco.[55]
Laird Swallow J-5 Unknown Unknown Unknown Unknown Single seat biplane used to carry US Air Mail (CAM 5) by predecessor Varney Air Lines.[56]
Lockheed L-1011 TriStar 6 1986 1989 Boeing 747-100
McDonnell Douglas DC-10-30		 Former Pan Am fleet.
All aircraft were sold to Delta Air Lines.
McDonnell Douglas DC-10-10 48 1971 2001 Boeing 757-200
Boeing 767-300ER
Boeing 777-200		 Launch customer.
One crashed as Flight 232.
McDonnell Douglas DC-10-30 7 1983 2001
4 1997 None Converted into freighters for the short-lived "United Airlines Worldwide Cargo" service.
Sud Aviation Caravelle 20 1961 1970 Boeing 727
Boeing 737-200		 Only U.S. operator in scheduled passenger service.
Used to operate "Executive" service between Chicago and Newark restricted to men only passengers.
Also operated on other United domestic services.
Vickers Viscount 48 1961 1969 Former Capital Airlines aircraft.
Only mainline turboprop aircraft type ever operated by United Airlines.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "United Airlines fleet profile". Cirium. Retrieved August 30, 2026.
  2. ↑ "UAL 2024 10K". United Airlines. February 24, 2025.
  3. ↑ Velani, Bhavya (July 16, 2023). "North American Airlines Widebody Fleet Update". Aviation A2Z. Retrieved February 9, 2025.
  4. ↑ Sloan, Chris (April 8, 2024). "CEO Scott Kirby Has Big Plans For United Airlines". Aviation Week. Retrieved January 29, 2025.
  5. ↑ Koenig, David (June 29, 2021). "United Orders 270 Jets to Replace Old Ones, Plan for Growth". Associated Press. Archived from the original on April 29, 2022. Retrieved October 31, 2023.
  6. ↑ Shepardson, David; Kumar Singh, Rajesh (December 13, 2022). "United Airlines makes big Boeing order, including 100 787 Dreamliners". Reuters. Retrieved December 13, 2022.
  7. ↑ Insinna, Valerie; Kumar Singh, Rajesh (October 3, 2023). "United Airlines orders 110 Airbus, Boeing jets in a bet on travel demand". Reuters. Archived from the original on January 9, 2024. Retrieved January 29, 2025.
  8. 1 2 "United Adds 270 Boeing and Airbus Aircraft to Fleet, Largest Order in Airline's History and Biggest by a Single Carrier in a Decade". United Hub. June 29, 2021. Archived from the original on June 29, 2021. Retrieved October 19, 2021.
  9. ↑ Abott, Rich (September 19, 2024). "Starlink Lands United Deal for the Airline's Full Fleet". Avionics International. Retrieved January 28, 2025.
  10. ↑ Rucinski, Tracy; Nishant, Niket (February 10, 2021). "Archer to go public, United Airlines invests and orders electric aircraft". Reuters.
  11. ↑ Pritchard, Jason (June 14, 2023). "Eve Air Mobility and United Airlines to launch eVTOL aircraft services in San Francisco area by 2026 – eVTOL Insights". eVTOL Insights. Archived from the original on June 14, 2023. Retrieved January 28, 2025.
  12. ↑ Daleo, Jack (September 11, 2023). "Electric Airplane Manufacturer Heart Aerospace Taps Honeywell for Flight Control System". Flying magazine. Retrieved January 28, 2025.
  13. ↑ "Boom – United". Boom. Retrieved July 15, 2024.
  14. ↑ "Form 10-K". United Airlines Holdings, Inc. July 25, 2026. pp. 33–34. Retrieved July 22, 2026.
  15. ↑ "Airbus A319". United.com. Archived from the original on January 25, 2026. Retrieved January 25, 2026.
  16. ↑ Ewing, Ryan (October 21, 2025). "United Plans A319, A320 Retirement". airlinegeeks.com. Retrieved October 21, 2025.
  17. ↑ "Airbus A320". United.com. Archived from the original on January 25, 2026. Retrieved January 25, 2026.
  18. ↑ "Airbus A321neo". United.com. Archived from the original on January 25, 2026. Retrieved January 25, 2026.
  19. ↑ Schlappig, Ben (September 10, 2023). "United Airlines Airbus A321neo Enters Service Late 2023". One Mile at a Time. Retrieved September 15, 2023.
  20. 1 2 3 "United Airlines delivers two-year blueprint for new aircraft and product era". AeroTime. Retrieved March 24, 2026.
  21. 1 2 3 "United to Add 250+ Planes in Next Two Years - Most by Any Airline - Includes New, Premium Customer Experiences, Aircraft Variants, Subfleet, Seats and Amenities" (Press release). United Airlines. March 24, 2026.
  22. ↑ Ostrower, Jon; Snyder, Brett (March 26, 2026). "United's Media Day Extravaganza". The Air Show (Podcast). Event occurs at 23:14. Retrieved April 8, 2026. But let's talk about the A321XLRs now. Those are going to be Pratt-powered aircraft. They'll also have 20 Polaris seats and 12 Premium Plus, but there will be 11 fewer economy seats, so 150 total.
  23. 1 2 Rains, Taylor. "United executive said the new Airbus A321XLR will replace Boeing 757 routes and open new ones". Business Insider. Retrieved October 7, 2024.
  24. ↑ Hardee, Howard (October 11, 2024). "United anticipates receiving first A321XLR in January 2026". FlightGlobal. Retrieved January 30, 2025.
  25. ↑ Singh, Rajesh Kumar; Hepher, Tim (February 13, 2026). "United's stalled A350 order thrown into doubt by Rolls-Royce engine row". Reuters. Retrieved June 26, 2026.
  26. ↑ "Boeing 737-700". United.com. Archived from the original on January 25, 2026. Retrieved January 25, 2026.
  27. 1 2 3 "Boeing 737-800 & MAX 8". United.com. Archived from the original on January 25, 2026. Retrieved January 25, 2026.
  28. 1 2 3 "Boeing 737-900, -900ER & MAX 9". United.com. Archived from the original on January 17, 2026. Retrieved January 25, 2026.
  29. ↑ "United Airlines Rolls Out New Boeing 737 MAX 8 Fleet in Guam". United Airlines. March 19, 2026. Retrieved March 24, 2026.
  30. ↑ "Boeing: Orders and Deliveries (updated monthly)". Boeing. December 31, 2023. Archived from the original on January 12, 2021. Retrieved January 9, 2024.
  31. ↑ "United Adds 270 Boeing and Airbus Aircraft to Fleet, Largest Order in Airline's History and Biggest by a Single Carrier in a Decade". United Hub. June 29, 2021. Archived from the original on June 29, 2021. Retrieved June 29, 2021.
  32. ↑ Schlangenstein, Mary (March 12, 2024). "United Tells Boeing to Stop Making Its Long Delayed Max 10s". Bloomberg UK. Retrieved January 31, 2025.
  33. ↑ "United Says It's Changing Its Boeing Fleet Strategy Due to Safety Delays — What to Know". Travel + Leisure. Retrieved January 17, 2025.
  34. ↑ Rapier, Graham (July 17, 2026). "United plans to retire 80 aircraft next year as it expects first Boeing 737 Max 10 deliveries". FlightGlobal. Retrieved July 20, 2026.
  35. ↑ "Boeing 757-200". United.com. Archived from the original on January 25, 2026. Retrieved January 25, 2026.
  36. ↑ "Boeing 757-300". United.com. Archived from the original on January 25, 2026. Retrieved January 25, 2026.
  37. ↑ "Boeing 767-300ER". United.com. Archived from the original on January 25, 2026. Retrieved January 25, 2026.
  38. ↑ "Boeing 767-400ER". United.com. Archived from the original on January 25, 2026. Retrieved January 25, 2026.
  39. 1 2 "Boeing 777-200 & -200ER". United.com. Archived from the original on January 25, 2026. Retrieved January 25, 2026.
  40. ↑ "The Boeing 777 Program Background". Boeing. Archived from the original on June 8, 2009. Retrieved June 6, 2009.
  41. 1 2 "Boeing 777-200 (777)". united.com. Archived from the original on March 13, 2024. Retrieved September 8, 2024.
  42. ↑ "Boeing 777-300ER". United.com. Archived from the original on January 25, 2026. Retrieved January 25, 2026.
  43. ↑ "Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner". United.com. Archived from the original on January 25, 2026. Retrieved January 25, 2026.
  44. ↑ Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner |url=https://www.united.com/en/us/newsroom/announcements/cision-125449 |access-date=July 20, 2026
  45. ↑ "United Unveils the Elevated Aircraft Interior: Higher Standard of Premium International Travel Includes New Business Class Suites, Caviar Service and Largest Seatback Screens in the U.S. on new 787 Dreamliners". United (Press release). May 13, 2025. Archived from the original on May 14, 2025. Retrieved May 15, 2025.
  46. ↑ "United Airlines Orders 50 More Boeing 787 Dreamliners" (Press release). October 3, 2023.
  47. ↑ "Boeing 787-10 Dreamliner". United.com. Archived from the original on January 25, 2026. Retrieved January 25, 2026.
  48. ↑ Schlappig, Ben (January 16, 2026). "United Boosts Boeing 787-10 Order, Converts 787-9: An Obvious Upgauge". One Mile at a Time. Retrieved January 17, 2026.
  49. ↑ Bohl, Walt: Boeing model 40 and its descendants
  50. 1 2 3 United: The Main Line Airway by George Cearley, Jr
  51. ↑ Seely, Victor J. (December 1, 1991). The Boeing 247: the first modern airliner. University of Washington Press. ISBN 978-0-295-97094-3. Retrieved May 3, 2010 – via Google Books.
  52. ↑ "United retired its last three B737-500s by end of May". ch-aviation. Retrieved June 5, 2013.
  53. ↑ "United Airlines retires its last B767-200". ch-aviation. Retrieved May 31, 2013.
  54. ↑ "Wings of United: The Journey of Boeing 767-322ER N646UA". MotoArt PlaneTags. February 4, 2025. Retrieved May 13, 2026.
  55. ↑ "June 1, 1931 United Air Lines system timetable". www.timetableimages.com. Retrieved September 14, 2019.
  56. ↑ "Swallow". united.com. October 3, 2002. Archived from the original on October 3, 2002. Retrieved April 10, 2017.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)

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