According to a report from Bloomberg on August 2nd, American Airlines is eyeing a substantial order for aircraft to meet its growing narrowbody needs.
Discussions are ongoing with Airbus and Boeing, and a deal could be worth up to 100 total units, not only a sizeable contract but an important one as it’d come from a significant U.S. carrier.
American Airlines has the A321 and 737 MAX to its name, opting not to fly the A320neo specifically at this stage. However, it has committed to the Airbus A321XLR and has the MAX still on order.
Boeing will hope to find itself in a favourable position to land the new contract to provide narrowbody aircraft, especially if the U.S. airline is eyeing fleet commonality and growing its 737 MAX presence.
However, Airbus will fancy offering their A320neo family for further growth plans. The airline already flies a handful of variants in the extended series and is committed to acquiring more.
Aircraft orders are coming in hot and heavy, and nowadays, the number of units included in deals is only increasing. Air India ordered just shy of 500 aircraft from Airbus and Boeing a handful of months ago.
Meanwhile, Indigo committed to 500 A320neo family aircraft, the largest commercial aircraft order in aviation history. American Airlines would thus join a long queue of airlines placing orders for aircraft that total three digits.
It’s a positive sign and highlights the industry’s strong recovery and, for American Airlines, the ability to plan for the future as solid results continue rather than focusing on the bleak period that saw pandemic-related restrictions take hold.
Cirium fleet data indicates that the airline has just over 800 narrowbody aircraft in active service, with Airbus leading the line with close to 500 of those, followed by Boeing, responsible for just shy of 350 narrowbodies in the American Airlines fleet.
As for when an order would come through, that remains to be seen. Now is a critical time for both manufacturers to offer their best deal to push an agreement over the line. American Airlines considers this order necessary for the end of the decade and into the 2030s.
It also indicates how the MAX and NEO will continue for Boeing and Airbus, respectively, being a critical series still being produced and delivered to airlines globally as we enter the 2030s.
I did not realize that American Airlines didn’t order the a320neo. Seems odd to me. The a320 neo is probably going to be on the order books to replace the a320’s in current fleet. Just makes sense at this point but that is just my opinion. Thanks DJ for the post.