United Airlines (UA, Chicago O'Hare) has taken delivery of its first A321-200NY(XLR) extra long-range aircraft powered by Pratt & Whitney GTF Advantage engines, marking the first delivery of an aircraft equipped with the upgraded engine variant.

A spokesperson for United Airlines confirmed to ch-aviation that N64322 (msn 12820) delivered on September 23, 2026, is the airline's first XLR with the Advantage engine. ADS-B data show it entered service on September 30 between Tampa International and Amarillo Rick Husband International.

In a statement on September 24, Pratt & Whitney said the GTF Advantage offers 4-8% more takeoff thrust than the current PW1100G-JM, supporting additional range capability on the A321XLR. It is also designed to provide up to twice the time on wing of the current GTF engine.

The GTF Advantage is fully interchangeable and intermixable with the existing GTF engine, allowing airlines to operate both variants within the same fleet. Pratt & Whitney plans to transition its entire PW1100G-JM production line to the Advantage specification by 2028.

Pratt & Whitney said existing PW1100G-JM operators can also upgrade their engines through the GTF Hot Section Plus (HS+) programme, which is expected to become available during maintenance visits from early 2027.

United Airlines took delivery from Hamburg to Tampa of its first A321-200NY(XLR), N64321 (msn 12581), on June 3, 2026. According to ADS-B data, the first unit entered service domestically on August 2 between Chicago O'Hare and Denver International. It operated its first intercontinental flights from New York Newark to Paris CDG on August 18 and to Dublin International on September 3, as tracked on ADS-B data.

The airline awaits delivery of 48 more A321-200NY(XLR) units. It already operates 74 standard long-range A321-200NX variants, with 129 more to be delivered, according to ch-aviation data.