© Reuters. FILE PHOTO: A United Airlines Airbus A319-100 plane takes off from Washington National Airport in Washington, U.S., August 9, 2017. REUTERS/Joshua Roberts/File Photo
By Valerie Insinna
(Reuters) -United Airlines will announce an order for 110 planes from Boeing (NYSE and Airbus on Tuesday, a purchase that includes 50 wide-body Boeing 787 Dreamliners, two people with knowledge of the matter told Reuters.
The order will also include 60 narrow-body A321 jets from France’s Airbus, said the sources, who were not authorized to speak publicly.
Airbus did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Boeing and United declined to comment.
Bloomberg first reported the Airbus order, but did not include aircraft numbers.
Both Airbus and Boeing have set ambitious targets as air travel and aircraft sales recover, with Airbus producing in-demand single-aisle jets even faster than the American plane maker.
Last year, United Airlines announced a huge order for 100 Boeing 787 Dreamliners and 100 737 MAXs to meet demand as pandemic restrictions eased and to replace older, less efficient planes.
At the time, the order had raised concerns about United Airlines’ balance sheet. The company has said it expects to receive about 700 planes by 2032, the cost of which could reach $50 billion, according to brokerage Jefferies.
The rush to order planes comes amid a boom in travel demand and as airlines face increasing pressure to reduce emissions.
Some analysts have said the new shortage of planes due to a broken supply chain has spooked airlines and forced them to place large orders for planes.
