United Airlines is one of the largest US operators of the Boeing 767 jet, having been the launch customer of the 767-200 variant in 1982.
Source: Forbes
The aircraft has served the company as an international workhorse for decades. Many of its 767s are over 30 years old.
Source: Planespotters
During the pandemic, both American Airlines and Delta Air Lines announced they would retire 767 planes, with American actually permanently parking its fleet in 2020.
Source: American Airlines
While Delta originally said it would retire 767 jets by the end of 2025, president Glen Hauenstein said the carrier would continue operating them past that date, telling Airline Weekly that "you don't want to get yourself in a box where you've committed specifically."
Source: Airline Weekly
Before Delta's announcement that it would continue flying the 767, Cowen analyst Helane Becker said in August 2020 that she believed United would follow American and Delta and "likely retire its 767 fleet" in favor of jets with a lower operating cost.
Source: The Points Guy
However, despite their age, United CCO Andrew Nocella said in a 2021 quarter two earnings call that the plane could fly for another "30 years or more."
Source: Simple Flying
"I'll give kudos to our maintenance team for keeping these aircraft in great shape, to allow us to have that option," he said. "So we do have optionality to fly these aircraft longer than I think people automatically assume."
Source: Simple Flying, The Motley Fool
The investment in the 767 suggests the plane's significance in the fleet, especially as the company faces strong post-pandemic demand.
Source: Simple Flying
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