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Earlier this year, United Airlines signaled the removal of the Airbus A350-900 aircraft type from its order book. As per the SEC 10-K filing, this decision was made on the basis that the engine manufacturer for the aircraft type had breached a contract. Due to this, the airline is now in dispute with the OEM, asking for the $175 million the carrier paid as a prepayment, along with an additional sum.

The engine manufacturer in question is Rolls-Royce, which says that it was the airline that has breached the contract and therefore, United should be the party making payments to the OEM. Ultimately, this has further placed the aircraft order from 2009 in question.

For Context – The 2009 Order

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The order initially dates back to December 2009, when United Airlines (pre-merger with Continental), placed an order for 25 A350-900s, worth $6 billion. This order has since seen some changes, including being converted to the larger A350-1000s, and back to the -900s. However, for the past few years, it had remained in the order books as 45 A350-900s.

Simultaneously, the airline had also placed an order with Rolls-Royce, which manufactures the exclusive A350-900 powerplant, the Trent XWB-84. According to the OEM’s press release from 2009, the deal, at the time, had a list price of $2 billion.

It was in 2017, as stated above, that the airline’s order size for the A350 increased to 45, and at the time, the airline had entered into an agreement with Rolls-Royce under the original 2010 contract. The airline had made a pre-payment of $175 million at the time. According to Airline Economics, in December 2025, United stated that the OEM had breached the 2010 contract, which started the ongoing dispute.

The Recent Developments – Start Of The Dispute

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United’s claims that Rolls-Royce breached the contract have kicked off a dispute. The airline has since argued it should be paid back the $175 million prepayment it made in 2017, along with an additional sum. United reportedly states that the engine manufacturer is refusing to pay back the money.

According to reports by Air Insight, the OEM has refuted this claim from the airline and stated that it is United that breached the contract and therefore should pay the OEM. It is also reported that the SEC filing read that the airline has “taken steps to recover the amounts it believes Rolls-Royce owes” along with other financial damages the carrier is entitled to. United removed the order for the 45 widebody jets from its order book in February, coinciding with the SEC filing, but the order is still listed in Airbus’ order book.

The details of the ongoing dispute or the reported contract breaches remain confidential, but this has essentially left Airbus with 45 “uncertain” widebody aircraft on its order book. Some sources speculate this might be converted to other Airbus narrowbody jets such as the Airbus A320neo family aircraft, which the airline does operate and continues to take delivery of. However, there has not been any official indication regarding this from the airline’s side.

The Trent XWB-84 Is At The Core Of The Issue

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As stated above, the Trent XWB-84 is the sole powerplant for the A350-900, which is why the entire aircraft order is in jeopardy, despite United’s dispute being focused on the engine manufacturer rather than the aircraft manufacturer. The XWB-84 is a bespoke engine that Rolls-Royce built for the aircraft type, and remains one of the most powerful yet efficient engines designed for a commercial aircraft.

The engine was designed based on the learnings from all the previous engine types the OEM has designed for other aircraft types and boasts a very strong reliability and dispatch record, which is particularly helpful for airlines running large-scale A350 operations. This, paired with the care package and the maintenance programs Rolls-Royce offers, means that operators, for the most part, are happy with the aircraft type. The following is the technical specification of the engine:

While the operational efficiency and economics of the engine certainly make it attractive for operators, it is always a disadvantage when an aircraft type is limited to being operated by a single engine type. Be it widespread engine issues or more specific examples such as geopolitical issues or airline-to-OEM relations, it is always good to have an alternate powerplant option.

Much like the XWB-84 serves as the exclusive powerplant for the A350-900s, Rolls-Royce also holds the monopoly when it comes to the larger A350-1000. The engine manufacturer designed a larger and more powerful Trent XWB-97, which, as the name suggests, can deliver up to 97,000 lbs of maximum thrust.

Airbus’ Latest Generation Widebody – The A350s

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The A350 is Airbus’ latest clean-sheet designed widebody aircraft, which first entered commercial service in 2015, with Qatar Airways being the launch customer of the -900 variant. Subsequently, the airline was also the launch customer of the larger A350-1000 in 2018. These aircraft were Airbus’ solution to Boeing’s Dreamliner product, but also the European manufacturer’s answer to the industry’s need for long-haul point-to-point services.

The aircraft was first pitched in the early 2000s, even before the A380 had entered service, as the industry was shifting towards more efficient twin-jet aircraft for long-haul flights. This was massively helped by the improvements in technology, engine reliability, and improvements made to allow for higher Extended-range Twin-engine Operations Performance Standards (ETOPS) ratings.

Designed with advanced composite materials and the latest technology available, the A350 is one of the most efficient widebody aircraft in the market currently, which offers a perfect blend of payload capacity and operational range. The following are the technical specifications of the aircraft, as marketed by Airbus:

By marketing the aircraft as the “Long Range Leader”, Airbus, in fact, has developed two special Ultra Long-Range (ULR) variants of the -900s and -1000s. While the -900ULR with Singapore Airlines currently operates the longest routes in the world, the upcoming -1000ULR for Qantas will operate even longer routes.

United Betting Big On The Dreamliners

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The airline’s existing widebody fleet comprises of exclusively Boeing aircraft, and the only widebody aircraft on order are the Dreamliners. The airline is one of the very few operators of all three variants of the Boeing 787 aircraft family, with 87 examples of the type currently in fleet, and Boeing’s order book as of the end of May indicates the carrier has a total of 134 Dreamliners on order (78 -9s and 56 -10s).

Furthermore, without any other widebody aircraft type on order, the Dreamliners will eventually replace both the carrier’s fleet of Boeing 767s and the Boeing 777s. While the carrier’s 767s are aging and slated to exit the fleet by 2030, the 777s are expected to remain in the fleet for longer. This would naturally mean the airline would order more Dreamliners to ensure sufficient capacity to replace the outgoing fleet, but also for future network expansion.

That being said, it is possible that the airline will eventually order other widebody aircraft types, such as the Boeing 777X or perhaps even the A350s, if the dispute with Rolls-Royce is resolved. After all, Airbus still maintains the aircraft numbers in its order book. Meanwhile, according to reports from Reuters, the engine OEM, back in February, referred to United as a “Valued Customer” and is looking forward to resolving the issue.

Would The A350 Fit In Well With United?

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Although having a small subfleet of Airbus widebody aircraft within an otherwise predominantly Boeing fleet can result in the airline facing fleet complexities and higher costs associated with crew training, staffing, and aircraft maintenance, it can be viable. Primarily because a subfleet of 45 A350s can provide the carrier with a certain degree of economy of scale, but not as much as those offered by the airline’s fleet of Dreamliners, Airbus A320, and the Boeing 737 aircraft.

Secondly, there are other operators that are able to efficiently operate a wide variety of widebody aircraft, including both the 777s, 787s, the A350s, and more. Examples include the likes of Singapore Airlines, British Airways, Etihad, and Qatar Airways. These carriers have demonstrated that often having the flexibility of multiple aircraft types can prove beneficial and economical if the fleet mix is utilized correctly.

Furthermore, as stated above, the A350 boasts a record-breaking operational range. Therefore, the aircraft type can open up certain long/ultra-long-haul markets for United, which might not be reachable efficiently with other widebody aircraft types. Additionally, considering that United has recently started configuring its Dreamliners with premium-heavy configurations, the larger fuselage of the A350s would allow the carrier to utilize the space better and accommodate more premium capacity on flights.

Lastly, because the airline also operates a large number of Airbus narrowbody aircraft, the carrier can harness Airbus’ flight-deck commonality to train Airbus pilots to operate either aircraft type. This would further provide the carrier with financial and economic benefits. However, this is all dependent on United and Rolls-Royce resolving their dispute, and the carrier decides to take delivery of its Airbus widebody aircraft.