United Airlines announced Tuesday its largest-ever aircraft order of 270 narrow-body jetliners from Boeing and Airbus, an affirmation of the expected post-pandemic growth. The order includes 200 Boeing Max jets. Of those planes, 150 are Max 10s, the largest in the family. The remaining 50 Boeing planes are the manufacturer's most-popular model, the Max 8. United also plans to buy 70 Airbus 321neos. In a news release, Airbus said that a "significant number of the newly-ordered aircraft will be produced at the Airbus U.S. Manufacturing Facility in Mobile, Ala." Airbus said the new order complements existing orders from United for 50 A321XLR aircraft, bringing the total commitment from the airline to 120 A321 aircraft. United also announced a hiring spree that it expects to total about 25,000 employees for the new planes, including pilots, flight attendants and mechanics. The carrier now has about 500 narrow-body aircraft arriving starting next year. (Sources: multiple, including Airbus, CNBC, WKRG-TV, 06/29/21)
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