United Airlines has converted 10 firm orders for the Boeing 787 to the 777-300ER.
The 777s will be delivered from 2016, says the Chicago-based carrier. It cites the larger widebody's "attractive upgauge and range opportunities" as factors in the decision.
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"These changes are part of our strategy to improve operational reliability, grow capacity with demand, and enable us to achieve our long-term goal to improve margins and return on invested capital," says John Rainey, United's finance chief, in a statement on the order and other fleet changes.
Flightglobal's Ascend Fleets database shows that United has firm orders for 48 787s, comprising 27 -10s and 21 -9s. However, the airline has not disclosed which variants it has converted to the 777.
The 777-300ER order is valued at $3.3 billion at list prices.
United had said in January that it was considering converting existing widebody orders to the 777-300ER.
Source: Cirium Dashboard
