United Airlines is making the most of the recent decline in market prices for jetliners by placing an order for $10 billion+ of Airbus and Boeing Co jetliners. United Airlines has placed an order for 25 of Boeing’s 787 Dreamliners and 25 A350 planes after six months of competitive bidding. The carrier has also paid for full purchase rights of 50 of each aircraft.

According to United Airlines President John Tague, “We obviously thought the current environment was an opportunity for us…we resisted the pressure during the up cycle to by during the ‘while supplies last’ market environment and had the patience to wait until we saw this opportunity. We feel very rewarded by that.” (Source: Reuters.com.)

The carrier expects to receive its full order by 2019, with initial delivery of the aircraft beginning as early as 2016. When the delivery is complete, it will retire its international Boeing 747s and 767s entirely.

The newer aircraft will help the airline reduce fuel and emission costs and may also cut lifetime maintenance costs. It is a significant investment that may help reduce emissions by about 33 percent over the lifetime of each plane, and maintenance costs by approximately 40 percent per available seat mile.

Both the Boeing 787 Dreamliner and the Airbus A350 are part of the next generation of lightweight composite-built jets that are being developed by the two largest airliner manufacturers in the world. The new planes will be made with energy-efficient materials and will be able to fly side by side with the older fleet for a short period of time. The $10.1 billion investment could help to “kickstart the replacement cycle for less-efficient planes”, according to United Airlines. Airbus is planning to start building the A350 as early as next year, and Boeing will follow shortly after.