On Monday, Jan. 27, we celebrated another “first” when we became the biggest airline by yet another standard: the largest active mainline fleet in the world.

Lucky number 1,000, a Boeing 737 MAX 9, was delivered at Boeing Field (BFI) in Seattle. "The delivery of our 1,000th active mainline aircraft is a huge milestone made possible by the tireless work of the entire United team,” said Senior Manager Troy Southwell of Narrowbody Inductions and Projects, part of the Engineering and Reliability group. “From configuring our new aircraft to delivery week to the post-delivery modifications (PDMs), our Engineering teams have been doing a fantastic job of collaborating with various departments to ensure our aircraft enter into service. I’m proud of the hard work our teams have contributed to make this major milestone a reality."

To mark the major milestone, a ribbon cutting was held planeside along with the presentation of custom ceremonial keys.

“It’s really exciting to see our airline grow as much as we are, and very gratifying to see projects the Inflight Cabin Systems and Interiors teams have been working on for years come to fruition in a milestone like this,” said Safety Management System Data and Cabin Systems and Interiors Senior Manager Spencer Resh. “There is an incredible amount of hard work that goes on behind the scenes for every aircraft delivery, and it all directly contributes to make United’s vision of being the best and biggest airline in the world!”

As our fleet continues to grow (in fact, we are already at 1,001 after accepting an Airbus A321neo today and 1,002, a MAX 8, is anticipated to deliver this Thursday), we can expect to continue leading the industry.