American Airlines has announced another big order for 260 new aircraft split between Airbus, Boeing and Embraer. On top of that, the respective orders also include options and purchase rights for an additional 193 aircraft.
“Over the past decade, we have invested heavily to modernize and simplify our fleet, which is the largest and youngest among U.S. network carriers,” said American’s CEO Robert Isom. “These orders will continue to fuel our fleet with newer, more efficient aircraft so we can continue to deliver the best network and record-setting operational reliability for our customers.”
The company is heavily focused boosting its domestic capacity, choosing larger variants in order to offer the most premium seating capacity than any other U.S. airline. Over the past 10 years, the company has taken delivery of 600 mainline aircraft, and now has 440 aircraft on order with expected deliveries expected to span into the next decade.
85 Airbus A321neos, and A319 and A320 retrofits
American will continue to expand its Airbus lineup, ordering 85 additional A321neos. The new order now brings their total outstanding deliveries to 95, on top of the 70 which are already in service. While it was not specified in the release, the difference of options between the total and two other aerospace manufacturers results in American having 75 options inside for future consideration.
The airline also plans to begin retrofitting works from 2025 to outfit its current fleet of A319s and A320s with more premium-heavy cabins. The A319s will go from two to three rows of domestic first class seating, while the A320s will be upgraded from three rows to four. Besides that, the cabin will be refreshed with larger bins, power outlets at every seats and new trims.
115 Boeing 737 MAX 10s
American has placed an order for 85 new Boeing 737 MAX 10s, and will convert 30 of its previous MAX 8 orders into MAX 10s, bringing the total to 115. With this change, its Boeing 737 MAX 8 fleet will be reduced to 100 in total, with 41 still set for delivery. Besides this firm order, the carrier has options to purchase an additional 75 MAX 10s in the future.
Even though the MAX 10 will bring additional capacity, especially in the domestic premium segment, the MAX 10 still has not received certification, and with the latest round of mishaps at Boeing, it’s unclear when it will be approved to fly commercially.
90 Embraer E175s
The regional American Eagle brand will also receive some love with 90 new E175 orders with options for 43 more. As the company moves towards phasing out its 50-seater regional jets, these additional E175s will help pick up the slack, offering a 76-seat two-class cabin with features like satellite Wi-Fi and in-seat power.
Even though the airline is getting rid off its 50-seat regional jets, it’s going to be some time again as that timeline looks to be closer to 2030.
Delivery Timeline
With this new order inside, here is the company’s estimated delivery timeline for the few years into the new decade.
This isn’t the most exciting order, but really is a continuation of its existing plans to modernize its fleet.
[Featured Photo: American Airlines]
