American Airlines increases Boeing 737 MAX orders, defers 787s

American Airlines (AA, Dallas/Fort Worth) firmed twenty-three B737 MAX options into B737-8s on January 31, 2022, and plans to convert a further seven options later this year.

Half of the 30 newly confirmed jets will deliver in 2023 and the other half in 2024, it said in a stock market filing.

Based on the carrier’s latest delivery plan, as of September 30, 2021, American will now take twenty-seven B737-8s in total in 2023 and twenty-one in 2024. The airline does not plan to take any B737 MAX in 2022. The ch-aviation fleets advanced module shows American Airlines currently operates forty-two B737-8s and has another 81 – including the newly converted 23 units – on firm order from Boeing. Once the additional seven units are converted, its B737 MAX order book will grow to 130 in total.

Even as the airline increases its Boeing narrowbody backlog, it has deferred deliveries of “certain” B787-9s, originally due starting in January 2023, to the fourth quarter of 2023 and which will continue through 2027. Following the adjustments, American Airlines plans to take just four B787-9s in 2023.

The carrier’s September delivery plan foresaw the induction of ten B787s in 2022 and eleven in 2023, although these numbers also include B787-8s. American Airlines has twenty-four -8s and twenty-two -9s in its fleet, and a further 13 and 30 of the respective types on order.

All B787 deliveries have been put on hold since May 2021 due to production quality issues.