By Alison Sider

United Airlines Holdings Inc. said it is buying 25 new Boeing 737 MAX jets and bumping up its orders for dozens more as it positions its fleet for a travel rebound.

The deal is a boost for Boeing Co., which has lost hundreds of MAX orders amid a nearly two-year grounding following two fatal crashes of the jet. The U.S. in November approved the MAX for passenger flights again, laying out requirements including that the plane undergo software updates and that pilots go through additional training.

Andrew Nocella, United's chief commercial officer, said in a memo Monday that the MAX will be key to the company's long-term growth and its ability to serve demand, which it expects to rebound in the coming years, as it starts to replace aging aircraft that are nearing retirement. United began flying passengers on the MAX again last month.

United didn't disclose financial terms of the deal. The MAX sells for $122 million to $135 million at list prices depending on the model, though airlines typically receive discounts for large orders.

Mr. Nocella said United is still lobbying for a third round of federal aid to avert job losses at the end of March, but needs to place aircraft orders over a year in advance of taking delivery. The 25 newly ordered planes are slated for delivery in 2023.

Regulators around the world grounded the jet in March, 2019 after two fatal crashes that killed 346 people. Regulators in Europe, Canada, and other regions have cleared the plane to fly again.

Boeing said customers canceled orders for 511 MAX jets last year, with hundreds more in question as the coronavirus pandemic has reduced demand for travel and forced airlines around the world into retreat. Many have been able to walk away from their orders without penalty, as generally allowed by Boeing contracts, because their deliveries were more than a year late due to the grounding.

Other carriers have added to their MAX orders. Ryanair Holdings PLC said in December it had agreed to buy 75 new MAX jets from Boeing. Alaska Air Group Inc. added to its MAX order last year, opting to replace most of its Airbus planes in the coming years with MAX jets.

United said Monday that it would move up the delivery of 40 previously ordered MAX jets to 2022 and bring forward another five deliveries to 2023. In total, United has 188 firm commitments for MAX planes in the coming years, according to a regulatory filing Monday.

The airline said in the regulatory filing that it expects to receive 11 of Boeing's 787 Dreamliner wide-body jets this year, including three delayed from the final quarter of 2020. Boeing hasn't delivered a Dreamliner since October, hamstrung by inspections and rework linked to production problems. That has built up a backlog of dozens of Dreamliners even as it cuts monthly production to five. Boeing has said it still aims to resume deliveries this quarter.

Doug Cameron contributed to this article.

Write to Alison Sider at alison.sider@wsj.com

Corrections & Amplifications

This was corrected at 11:34 a.m. ET because the original version incorrectly stated that United Airlines Holdings Inc. began flying passengers on the Boeing 737 MAX again earlier this month. They began last month.

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

03-01-21 1125ET