Mike Scott
30th June 2012, 05:34 AM
Best news we have had in awhile over here !!! :D: Our fearless leader just made the statement during his current "meet and greet" visit with our employees in FRA. (Inside tip if your betting...747-8);)
United Airlines President and CEO Jeffery Smisek is seeking aircraft larger than the Airbus A350-900 for the carrier’s future long-haul fleet, but is discounting the double-deck Airbus A380.
The European manufacturer’s A380 is “probably a little large for what we need”, but the A350-900 on the other hand “might be suboptimal for some of our routes,” Smisek told Aviation Week during a visit to Frankfurt.
United has ordered 25 A350-900s and 50 Boeing 787s, of which 14 will be the larger -9 version. United’s first 787-8 is to arrive in September and six will be delivered by year-end.
Among the aircraft that are under consideration for the higher capacity long-haul segment are the A350-1000, the Boeing 777X and the 747-8, Smisek said.
But the more near-term decision is the replacement of United’s 92-strong Boeing 757-200 fleet.
“We don’t have a sufficient narrowbody order,” Smisek admitted. The airline is evaluating the A320NEO and the Boeing 737 MAX, but Smisek would not comment on a possible order or if the airline would consider current model narrowbodies. “It all depends on timing,” he noted.
Airbus’s plans to build a final assembly line for the A320 in Mobile, Ala. will have no influence on United’s narrowbody decision, Smisek added.
United Airlines President and CEO Jeffery Smisek is seeking aircraft larger than the Airbus A350-900 for the carrier’s future long-haul fleet, but is discounting the double-deck Airbus A380.
The European manufacturer’s A380 is “probably a little large for what we need”, but the A350-900 on the other hand “might be suboptimal for some of our routes,” Smisek told Aviation Week during a visit to Frankfurt.
United has ordered 25 A350-900s and 50 Boeing 787s, of which 14 will be the larger -9 version. United’s first 787-8 is to arrive in September and six will be delivered by year-end.
Among the aircraft that are under consideration for the higher capacity long-haul segment are the A350-1000, the Boeing 777X and the 747-8, Smisek said.
But the more near-term decision is the replacement of United’s 92-strong Boeing 757-200 fleet.
“We don’t have a sufficient narrowbody order,” Smisek admitted. The airline is evaluating the A320NEO and the Boeing 737 MAX, but Smisek would not comment on a possible order or if the airline would consider current model narrowbodies. “It all depends on timing,” he noted.
Airbus’s plans to build a final assembly line for the A320 in Mobile, Ala. will have no influence on United’s narrowbody decision, Smisek added.