United Airlines Makes 737 MAX Change

United Airlines is in the headlines following a new agreement for the popular single-aisle 737 MAX family with a leading lessor.

The Dubai lessor, known as Dubai Aerospace Enterprise or DEA, which the Government owns, said that the agreement included ten Boeing 737 MAX 9 jets for the U.S. carrier.

Specifically, the agreement between the U.S. carrier and DAE is for the purchase and leaseback.

Deliveries are expected to occur between August 2025 and February 2026 and provide United Airlines with a much-needed boost in capacity as it battles delivery woes.

The CEO of DAE said they were delighted about the deal reached with the airline, it’s a contract that builds upon a recent acquisition of A321neos on lease to United.

Additionally, DAE has been targeting the U.S market heavily recently, and deals such as these for ten 737 MAX jets symbolise the direction the lessor wants to continue heading in the coming years.

These lease agreements, which have been signed, are long-term ones; as a result, the MAX jets will unsurprisingly be in the airline’s operation for some time.

Dubai Aerospace Enterprise has over 200 airline customers in 85 countries. While its home base is in Dubai, it has offices across six other global cities, such as Singapore, Miami, Dublin and Seattle, to name a few.

United Airlines’ 737 MAX Struggles

United Airlines’ relationship with the 737 MAX has endured its fair share of ups and downs since first taking delivery of the jet.

Most recently, the continued certification challenges with the highest capacity variant in the 737 MAX 10 have presented obstacles in fleet growth.

United Airlines has on several occasions confirmed it would be forced to reduce its growth estimates over the next few years because of an inability to take delivery of next-generation jets.

However, away from certification troubles, the continued output restrictions that impact Boeing, while improving, have nonetheless hampered fleet renewal ambitions laid out by the U.S. carrier.

It has been a trying period. To mitigate these challenges, the operator has found solutions in switching its mix of 737 MAX variants for the future, including a greater reliance on products such as the 737 MAX 9, which is certified and available, even if with some delays.

Additionally, United has looked to add more A321neos to its fleet composition. This is another certified aircraft that is available sooner than uncertified aircraft, such as the 737 MAX 10. This model poses many risks because of its lack of availability.