United Airlines (UA, Chicago O'Hare) does not expect to take delivery of its first B737-10 before 2027 or 2028, due to uncertainty regarding the aircraft's certification, the CCO Andrew Nocella said on May 13, during the company's event in New York. As quoted by Reuters, Nocella announced that United Airlines might no longer be the first airline to introduce the biggest MAX variant to its fleet.
While the carrier waits for the delivery of B737-10s, it will continue taking smaller B737-9s as it aims to modernise its fleet. "We want to see the aircraft [B737-10] certified before we make the firm commitment to convert our -9s to -10s," Nocella said.
According to the ch-aviation fleets module, United Airlines has unfulfilled orders for 165 B737-10, making it the largest customer for the type in the world. United Airlines' 2024 annual report reveals the airline was expecting to receive its first three B737-10s by the end of 2026.
The American carrier initially anticipated taking the first B737-10 in 2020. Due to the grounding of the MAX aircraft family and certification delays, both with B737-10 and smaller B737-7 variant, the delivery slipped into the second half of this decade.
The airline remains hopeful that Boeing will manage to overcome certification issues and deliver B737-10s. In January 2025, United's chief financial officer, Mike Leskinen, said the company is more bullish on the B737-10s as the manufacturer is improving its business.
United Airlines is already relying on the sizeable MAX fleet, with 118 B737-8s and ninety-nine B737-9s currently operating in its network.
The company finished the first quarter of 2025 with 209 MAX aircraft in its fleet—nine more than it previously anticipated in its investor update released on January 21, 2025. The American carrier has updated its aircraft delivery forecast for the second and third quarters, now expecting to receive more MAX jets than at the beginning of 2025.
Despite the improved outlook on new aircraft arrivals, the current delivery timeline is still below United's previous expectations. The company revealed that it had contractually agreed with Boeing to receive sixty-seven MAX jets in the second, third, and fourth quarters of 2025, but will only add twenty-seven aircraft. United Airlines is now looking to finish 2025 with 236 MAX family aircraft.
The carrier also changed its delivery timeline for the long-awaited A321-200NY(XLR)s. In its 2024 annual report, the airline noted it will add nine A321XLRs in 2026. However, the most recent quarterly update indicates that United Airlines will receive eight jets by the end of 2026. The company has fifty A321XLRs on order from Airbus.
