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United Airlines plans to buy at least 100 Boeing 787 Dreamliner jets by 2032 as it replaces aging planes with newer, more fuel-efficient models and pursues international growth, the airline announced on Tuesday. The order, worth tens of billions of dollars at list prices, comes a little more than a year after United said it planned to buy 270 single-aisle planes — the largest purchase of US aircraft in a decade. The airline added a few dozen jets to that order on Tuesday and said it now expected to receive 700 new planes in all by the end of 2032, including an average of two planes per week next year and three planes per week in 2024. In addition to its firm order for 100 Dreamliners, with deliveries scheduled to begin in 2024, United has the option to buy 100 more. The airline’s decision is important for Boeing, which only recently resumed deliveries of the twin-aisle Dreamliner after a more than yearlong delay because of quality concerns, including filling paper-thin gaps in the plane’s body. Boeing has also been hindered by supply chain disruptions, inflation and other economic challenges. United said it chose Boeing over the rival plane maker Airbus because the airline is eager to grow and already has several dozen 787s as well as the pilots trained to fly them. The airline still has an order on the books to receive dozens of Airbus A350s, a 787 competitor, in 2030. “They’re both great airplanes,” United’s CE Scott Kirby said. “But we already have a large installed base of 787s. And in this world where we’re trying to bring on 2,500 pilots a year and grow the airline, introducing a new fleet type slows that down dramatically.”<br/>

United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby is still seeing solid travel demand this holiday season, though perhaps littered with a few cautionary signs entering 2023. "I guess if you squint hard... [you could] see what I would call pre-recessionary behavior," Kirby said on Yahoo Finance Live (video above). Still, Kirby reaffirmed that this year's ongoing travel rebound from the COVID-19 pandemic has continued with "really strong demand" at this point in time. "We're setting records every month on travel demand," the CEO added. Kirby is putting his money where his mouth is in terms of betting big on travel's post-pandemic recovery. The carrier announced Tuesday it placed an order for 100 of Boeing's top-of-the-line 787 Dreamliners with options to purchase 100 more. <br/>

Lufthansa has raised its profit guidance for its 2022 financial year for the second time in two months, citing strong demand for air travel that helped lift earnings performance in October and November above expectations. The group now anticipates that full-year adjusted earnings before interest and taxes will come in at around E1.5b, up from its prior outlook of more than E1b. Analysts had penciled in core profit of E1.13b for the period. Shares in Lufthansa rose by more than 4% in early European trading on Tuesday. The carrier said average passenger yields have remained well above pre-pandemic levels. Bookings in the coming months indicate a "continuation of the positive trend" in the passenger unit, the company added. Meanwhile, its cargo business and maintenance service are also expected to achieve record annual results.<br/>

Thai Airways is in talks with planemakers to add some 20 twin-aisle passenger jets, according to people familiar with the matter, as the beleaguered carrier seeks to refresh its fleet amid a travel rebound<br/>in Southeast Asia. Thai Airways held advanced discussions with Boeing Co recently about purchasing its 787-9 wide-body passenger jets, the people said, asking not to be identified because the details are confidential. The state-owned carrier may also be speaking to Airbus SE, as airlines typically speak to both planemakers when in discussions about new acquisitions. The negotiations are fluid and may not result in a deal, the people said. Representatives for Thai Airways didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. Boeing said it doesn’t discuss any conversations it has with customers. An Airbus spokesperson also said the company doesn’t “comment on discussions that we may or may not be having with our customers”. Thailand’s flag carrier is in the midst of a $5.3b debt rehabilitation plan, having already undertaken painful cuts which saw it eliminate half of its workforce and 40% of its fleet. Travel in Asia, like the rest of the world, has sprung back faster than expected as Covid restrictions lift, and Thai Airways is bringing back almost half a dozen aircraft it originally put up for sale in an effort to revive flights more quickly.<br/>

Air New Zealand said Wednesday it had partnered with four aircraft makers to develop zero-emission demonstrator flights by 2026, using electric, green hydrogen and hybrid technologies. The airline said it will work with Eviation, Beta, VoltAero and Cranfield Aerospace and sign a statement of intent to order, aiming to acquire three aircraft initially, with further options for 20, from one or more partners. Air NZ also joined hands with refueling infrastructure company Hiringa Energy to further understand the infrastructure needed to fly a green-hydrogen aircraft. The global airline industry is relying on sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) usage to rise to help meet its goal to reach net-zero emissions by 2050. Air NZ CEO Greg Foran said the partnerships "will pave the way for our long-term partners to deliver an aircraft that can replace our Q300 turbo prop domestic fleet". Last year September, the company signed a memorandum of understanding with Airbus SE (AIR.PA) to research the impact hydrogen planes would have on Air New Zealand's network, operations and infrastructure. "While zero emissions aircraft technology will help decarbonise the airline's domestic network over the period to 2050, SAF is important in the near term for the long-haul fleet," Foran said.<br/>