American Airlines will take on a major narrowbody aircraft order, split between the Boeing 737 MAX-10, the Airbus A321neo, and the Embraer E175.
With the goal of increasing premium seats on domestic flights, American Airlines is taking on a major narrowbody aircraft order.
The Fort Worth-based carrier announced an order of 260 new aircraft, nearly evenly split between the three major manufacturers.
Order Comes with Goal of Retiring Small Aircraft, Increasing Premium Seating
American’s order is split into three parts. The carrier will receive 85 Boeing 737 MAX-10 aircraft, 85 Airbus A321neo aircraft, and 90 Embraer 175s. The airline will also upgrade 30 of their existing 737 MAX-8 orders to MAX-10s. American says the move will not only modernize their fleet, but also increase the number of first class and premium seats across their network.
“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,” American CEO Robert Isom said in a press release. “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.”
With the Embraer order, the airline expects to retire all remaining 50-seat regional jets across their network. Operated by American’s wholly-owned regional carriers, the bigger aircraft will continue to serve smaller markets.
The Airbus and Boeing orders are expected to fulfill the increased demand for premium domestic seating, including first class seating. Along with the new orders, American will begin retrofitting existing narrowbody aircraft starting on 2025.
The enhancements will include adding power outlets to each seat, larger overhead bins, and updated seating. Once complete, the existing Airbus A319 airframes will upgrade to 12 domestic first class seats, while the current A320 aircraft will move up to 16 domestic first class seats.
The order for the Boeing 737 MAX-10 comes as the Chicago-based aerospace giant is getting doubts from other airlines about the ability to fulfill commitments. After the blown door plug issue aboard Alaska Airlines Flight 1282, United Airlines told investors that the MAX-10 was taken “out of their internal plans.”
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