United Airlines swaps Boeing Dreamliners for ten 777-300ER jets

(Reuters) - United Airlines said Thursday that it has swapped 10 orders of Boeing Co 787 Dreamliners for 10 larger 777-300ER jets, marking a victory for the plane manufacturer as it seeks to sell out the 777 planes before their production ends.

The news follows months of speculation that Chicago-based United Continental Holdings Inc would make the swap, which allows it to move aircraft on to different routes to better fit customer demand. The carrier also said Thursday that it plans to retire 130 of its more than 200 50-seat planes by the end of 2015 as part of its fleet reorganization.

(Reporting By Jeffrey Dastin in New York; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama)