Replacements Sought For Older Aircraft On The Heels Of Wide Body Order 

Word is that United Airlines will invite Embraer to submit a bid for new narrow body jets, a domain normally reserved for Boeings' 737 and the Airbus A320.

Reuters reports that United made the announcement Wednesday, after placing orders for 25 each of Boeing's B787 Dreamliners and Airbus' A350 XWB wide body jets. "We are going to go into the narrow-bodied (plane) market next year. We are going to invite Embraer into that competition," UAL Chief Executive Glenn Tilton said in an interview.

Embraer's largest aircraft is currently the 195, which can be configured for up to 122 seats.

Embraer 195

The research firm Innovation Analysis Group said Bombardier is also likely to be invited to the party. Writing in a company blog, IAG says Tilton called the Bombardier CSeries a "natural replacement" for the 737. They also say Embraer is planning a stretch version of the 190, and that it's common knowledge that China and Russia are working on planes in that category. IAG expects that the move to invite both Embraer and Bombardier to bid on the narrow body fleet means Airbus and Boeing will push re-engining programs for the A320 and B737, respectively.

FMI: www.embraer.com, www.bombardier.com, www.iag-inc.com