United Airlines' First A321neo Maiden Flight

DALLAS — The first United Airlines (UA) Airbus A321neo took to the skies for the first time at Hamburg-Finkenwerder Airport (XFW) in Hamburg, Germany. The A321neo rolled out of the paint shop on July 3, 2023, initially carrying the registration D-AXXH. It will eventually hold the US registration number N44501.

United's first Airbus A321neo will initially be based in Chicago and will operate five new routes from that base. The destinations include Phoenix, Fort Lauderdale, Orlando, Fort Myers, and Las Vegas.

United Airlines A321N N44501 at XFW. Photo: Dirk Grothe/Airways

A321neo Deliveries

The airline expected eight A321neo aircraft to join its fleet this year, but in April, the airline announced that it would only receive one A321neo in 2023. However, the first delivery of the A321neo was later pushed back to 2024.

The carrier has not announced a specific delivery date for its first A321neo, but we were glad to see its first flight today, September 21, 2023.

First Scheduled Flight

The inaugural UA flight of the A321neo will be from Chicago to Phoenix on December 14, 2023. The aircraft will operate twice daily on the ORD-PHX route from December 14 to January 8, after which it will be reduced to once daily.

United has a total of 70 Airbus A321neo aircraft on order. This order complements the airline's existing one for 50 A321XLR aircraft, bringing the total commitment from the airline to 120 A321 aircraft.