United Airlines has rapidly expanded its fleet by receiving three new Airbus A321neo aircraft within a week. The deliveries included two planes on the same day and another just before Christmas, demonstrating the airline’s commitment to modernizing its operations. With these additions, United Airlines now operates a total of 56 A321neos, which have an average age of just one year, according to data from ch-aviation. Looking ahead, the Chicago-based airline plans to enhance its fleet further with a total of 149 A321neos and is also awaiting 50 Airbus A321XLR narrowbody aircraft.
Recent Deliveries and Production Details
All three A321neos were delivered to Tampa International Airport (TPA). The first aircraft, registered as N14565, arrived on December 23, 2025, after its journey from Mobile International Airport (BFM). The subsequent deliveries, registrations N34562 and N14563, occurred on December 29, 2025, also from BFM. Mobile serves as Airbus’s primary production site in the United States for the A220 and A320 family of aircraft. The European manufacturer has been constructing A321 models, including the A321neo, at its US manufacturing facility since it opened in 2015.
Since its inception, the Mobile site has produced hundreds of A320-family jets, with the first Alabama-built A321 being delivered to JetBlue in 2016. Currently, Airbus employs over 2,000 people at its production and engineering facilities across Alabama.
Airbus Adjusts Delivery Targets Amid Challenges
In a recent update, Airbus revised its delivery targets for 2025, now aiming to deliver approximately 790 aircraft, down from a previous goal of 820. This adjustment comes in response to quality issues with fuselage panels that have affected the delivery flow of the Airbus A320 family. As of November 2025, the company had delivered a total of 657 aircraft to 87 customers globally, indicating a need for an additional 133 deliveries to meet the adjusted target.
The slowdown in deliveries has raised concerns within the industry. Reports suggest that some airlines are awaiting further information on corrective measures regarding the fuselage issues. In November alone, Airbus delivered 72 new aircraft to 42 customers, a decline of 12 aircraft from the previous year, reflecting a 12% drop year-over-year. This decline also marks a decrease from the 78 deliveries made in October, which was the highest monthly count for the year.
The revision of Airbus’s targets is further compounded by additional challenges. Recent reports indicate that a total of 628 A320-family aircraft have been flagged for inspection due to a supplier quality issue involving fuselage panels manufactured by Sofitec Aero. This problem has affected panels produced at an incorrect thickness, leading to inspections for both aircraft already in service and those still in production.
Furthermore, in late November, Airbus experienced software-related issues that resulted in the temporary grounding of thousands of A320 family aircraft. This incident was linked to a midair occurrence attributed to a software glitch caused by solar radiation, impacting approximately 6,000 aircraft.
As Airbus navigates these challenges, the airline industry continues to watch closely, hoping for timely improvements in production and delivery capabilities.