American Airlines in Talks with Airbus and Boeing for Major Order of 100 Narrow-Body Aircraft

American Airlines is reportedly engaged in discussions with both Airbus and Boeing regarding a potential order for up to 100 narrow-body aircraft. As per Bloomberg’s latest report, the airline is actively exploring options to modernize its narrow-body fleet, considering aircraft from either the Airbus A320neo series or the Boeing 737 MAX family.

Presently, American Airlines has already secured commitments for 165 aircraft, including notable numbers of Airbus A321neo, A321XLR, and Boeing 737 MAX aircraft, based on data from ch-aviation.com. Nonetheless, the airline’s narrow-body fleet is aging, with the average age of its A320ceo and 737 NextGeneration (NG) models reaching 16.6 years, as reported by ch-aviation.com.

Should American Airlines finalize an agreement with either manufacturer, this move would represent the second instance of a US-based airline placing an order for 100 single-aisle aircraft within recent months. In a similar development, United Airlines took such a step by placing an order for 100 Boeing 737 MAXs in December 2022, combined with additional orders for 200 Boeing 787s.

American Airlines played a crucial role in the launch of Boeing’s 737 MAX series, stemming from its significant order of 460 aircraft back in July 2011. Among these, 100 units were specified for the 737s equipped with new-generation engines, later named the MAX series by Boeing. Currently, American Airlines operates a fleet consisting of 70 Airbus A321neo and 51 Boeing 737 MAX aircraft, according to ch-aviation.com statistics.

While being the sole member of the Big Four US airlines to report profitable operations in Q1 2023, American Airlines has not been without financial challenges, grappling with debt-related issues. In Q2 2023, despite achieving a net profit of $1.3 billion, the airline projected its year-end debt to reach approximately $43 billion. This marks a reduction from its peak debt of $54 billion in Q2 2021.