Airline Is Reportedly Considering Its Options For Fleet Growth

United Airlines is looking to buy 30 single-aisle airplanes this year in a deal said to be worth about $2 billion to the planemaker who wins the business ... and right now, it looks like Boeing has the inside track.

If the Chicago-based planemaker is successful winning the business from the Chicago-based airline, it could be a major hit to Bombardier, which hopes to sell United on its C Series airliners. And while Boeing's planes are somewhat larger than the C Series jets, they're still considered to be very competitive in that segment of the market.

But Reuters reports that nothing has been finalized, and the order is still up for grabs. Both planemakers are reportedly offering significant discounts to the airline in an effort to earn the business.

While none of the players ... United, Boeing, Bombardier, Embraer and Airbus ... the latter two of which are also interested ... have made any comment.

According to Reuters, Bombardier is looking to grab headlines by landing a major order with a U.S. carrier like United or JetBlue for the C Series. Embraer hopes it can get an endorsement in the 100-seat category from an existing customer, and Boeing wants to fill slots in its production line. Sales have been slow for the smaller 737-700 airplane, as well as the Airbus A319 ... currently the smallest of their offerings.

But both Boeing and Airbus can offer deep discounts on smaller airplanes while not affecting the overall business. Nothing has been announced, so stay tuned.

(Image from file)

FMI: www.united.com, www.boeing.com, www.bombardier.com