American Airlines Nears Major Aircraft Order

American Airlines is reportedly close to announcing a significant order for new narrowbody aircraft with Airbus and Boeing to be included in the deal.

As part of the major airline seeking new planes, a deal for 100 aircraft has been long in the pipeline, with American Airlines assessing its options.

Now, a deal looks set to be in the final stages before being formally announced. Once unveiled, the contract will see Airbus and Boeing jets included. However, Airbus is set to acquire more of the 100 than Boeing, per Bloomberg.

A contract would look to build upon American Airlines’ already strong commitment to the 737 MAX and A321neo series, with the specific variants yet to be confirmed but rather speculated.

Fleet data indicates American Airlines flies 57 737-8s with two aircraft listed in storage. Meanwhile, the airline has 70 active A321neos with 10 units listed as parked. These aircraft types are among the youngest in their fleet.

Sold Out Aircraft Lines

New aircraft orders are coming in thick and fast from major airlines, following aircraft lines that will be sold out for years.

In the case of the A320neo family, analysts have frequently warned that the line is sold out through to the early 2030s. If an airline can place an order to meet future growth, it must do that sooner rather than later.

As a result, these major airlines, such as American, are getting in sooner rather than later to ensure that by the time the 2030s roll around, they’ll have a modern and efficient fleet that can meet future demand levels that will increase.

Failure to make these orders now as a legacy airline, especially in such a competitive market, can have negative repercussions, such as being left behind as other airlines advance quicker.