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If
confirmed, the deal could include over 100 of Boeing's 737 MAX 8
and several dozen larger Airbus A321neo jets, they said, asking
not to be identified.
The carrier is looking to upgrade its fleet at a time when
travel is surging in the United States, according to Bloomberg
News, which first reported the Boeing negotiations.
That portion of the order could include 150 Max, it said.
"We do not currently have a deal in place with Boeing or Airbus
to purchase new aircraft and do not comment on speculative
aircraft orders," United spokesperson Luke Punzenberger said in
response to the earlier report.
Boeing and Airbus both said they do not comment on customer
discussions.
In March, United ordered 25 new Boeing 737 MAX aircraft, as it
prepares to replace aging jets and meet post-pandemic demand
growth.
Bookings for U.S. airlines are expected to rebound this year on
the back of COVID-19 vaccinations and easing restrictions after
the pandemic caused the industry's worst downturn.
A deal split between the 168-seat Boeing 737 MAX 8 and the
roughly 200-seat A321neo would deliver a broad boost to the
aerospace sector as it clambers out of the COVID-19 crisis.
It would bolster Boeing's main cash cow, the MAX 8, after a
safety grounding while reinforcing a trend towards Airbus at the
higher end of the busy single-aisle segment that threatens to
alter the product line-up in their transatlantic duopoly.
Airbus' A321neo has snapped up a dominant share of orders in the
recently booming large single-aisle segment, prompting Boeing to
weigh a replacement for its out-of-production 757, which
overlaps with the A321neo in size and range.
(Reporting by Radhika Anilkumar and Kanishka Singh in Bengaluru;
Editing by Sherry Jacob-Phillips and David Evans)
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