American Airlines trims network due to 787 delays

American Airlines said it has been forced to delay the launch and/or suspend four long-haul routes due to the ongoing pause in the deliveries of new Boeing 787s.

“We had expected Boeing to deliver all 13 of our delayed 787-8 aircraft in 2022, but we now expect to receive only 10 B787-8s this year, with the remaining aircraft now scheduled for delivery in 2023,” the airline said.

As a result, American Airlines said it would delay the launch of its new Dallas/Fort Worth-Tel Aviv Ben Gurion route and suspend its services from Seattle Tacoma Int’l to London Heathrow, from Dallas to Santiago de Chile Int’l, and from Los Angeles Int’l to Sydney. It will also reduce the frequency of its flights from Miami Int’l to Sao Paulo Guarulhos.

“Our B787-8 aircraft are an essential part of our fleet. And despite the ongoing delay, we still have tremendous confidence in the aircraft and will continue to work with Boeing on their delivery. In addition, as previously stated, Boeing has advised us that they will compensate us for their inability to deliver the aircraft,” American Airlines added.

The ch-aviation fleets advanced module shows American operates twenty-four 787-8s and twenty-two 787-9s. On top of the thirteen outstanding 787-8s, it also has thirty more -9s due, although their deliveries are not expected to begin until late 2023 following the recent adjustment.

All B787 deliveries have been put on hold since May 2021 due to production quality issues. Boeing has not provided official guidance for the resumption of deliveries. However, “an influential customer” recently told The Air Current that it could take until July 2022.

AeroTELEGRAPH said the pause in deliveries is also threatening Lufthansa’s summer 2022 plans as it had expected to take five white-tail 787-9s in late 2021 and early 2022, ahead of the peak season. The deal was announced in May 2021, before the suspension of deliveries, and came on top of the earlier commitment for twenty B787-9s, which have not yet been publicly allocated to any specific Lufthansa Group carrier.