United Airlines close to announcing an order for more than 100 widebody jets

United Airlines is nearing an order for more than 100 widebody jets and is evaluating offers for Boeing 787 Dreamliner and Airbus A350, Bloomberg News reported on Thursday.

A deal could be announced by December although a timeline has not been finalized, according to the report, which added that United Airlines has been in discussions with the planemakers for months.

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News of the potential multi-billion dollar order comes at a time when international and business travel is recovering, though it will take some more time to reach pre-pandemic levels.

Demand for widebody jets is also returning after years of a market glut, a boost especially for Boeing, which is in the midst of a recovery from successive crises.

United Airlines Chief Executive Scott Kirby told pilots attending a Denver training session that the carrier is planning a “triple-digit” order to upgrade its fleet.

The airline last year unveiled a large narrowbody order for Boeing and Airbus jets. The carrier had over 800 jets in its mainline fleet, with a majority of the aircraft from Boeing, according to its latest annual filing.