American Airlines has just announced a massive new 260 narrowbody and regional jet order with wins for Airbus, Boeing and Brazilian manufacturer Embraer.
The order represents a strategic shift to operate larger narrowbody and regional jets with an increased premium seat footprint with AA planning to offer more premium seats on domestic and short-haul international routes than any other U.S.-based airline.
Unusually, American Airlines announced the orders with all three aircraft manufacturers on the same day with the 260 new jets roughly evenly split between Airbus, Boeing and Embraer.
In addition, AA has included options for an additional 193 aircraft.
“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,” commented American’s CEO Robert Isom as the aircraft order was announced on Monday.
Over the last nine years, AA has taken delivery of 600 new mainline and regional aircraft, and the Dallas-based carrier now has an additional 440 aircraft on order with deliveries slated through to at least 2029.
American Airlines has opted for 85 new Airbus A321neo jet, which is the largest variant of the European manufacturer’s best-selling A320 aircraft series. Meanwhile, AA has ordered 85 new Boeing 737MAX-10 aircraft, which, again, is the largest variant in the MAX series.
The airline has also converted 30 existing 737MAX-8 orders into the larger MAX-10 variant. The MAX-10 is, however, yet to be certified.
As for its Embraer regional jets, AA said on Monday that it intends to completely retire smaller 50 seater regional jets by the end of the decade while the larger Embraer E175, of which American ordered 90 on Monday, will become the backbone of the carrier’s regional network.
At the same time, American Airlines intends to upgrade the interiors of its A319 and A320 fleet starting next year. The plan is to install larger overhead lockers, install power outlets at every seat and increase the number of First Class seats to 12 on the A319 fleet and 16 on the A320 fleet.
By 2026, the number of premium seats across AA’s fleet is expected to increase by as much as 20%.
American Airlines is a Fort Worth based carrier. This is a huge order. I wonder if they will order some wide body aircraft.