United Airlines (UA, Chicago O'Hare) has signed an agreement to purchase twenty additional second-hand A319-100s to cover for short-term fleet needs, the carrier said during the first quarter earnings call on April 17, 2018.
"We recently secured a deal for 20 Airbus A319 aircraft scheduled to be delivered to us in 2020 and 2021. Used aircraft provide us an enhanced opportunity to maximize returns regardless of where we’re in the economic cycle. And we’re in discussions for more used widebody and narrowbody aircraft," Chief Financial Officer Andrew Levy said.
President Scott Kirby added that the units are "midlife aircraft" but refused to disclose who is the source of the A319s. Reportedly, at least some of the aircraft will be ex-easyJet stock.
The American carrier currently operates sixty-seven A319s, including eleven recently added ex-China Southern Airlines units. It also expects the delivery of a further fourteen second-hand aircraft from the Chinese carrier shortly. The carrier's fleet also includes ninety-nine larger A320s.
Levy has also recently said that United is very seriously looking at adding small narrow-body jets with options including B737-7s, Bombardier Aerospace CSeries, or Embraer E2 Family units.
