There were ofcourse a lot of speculations on the share of order, that each of the American, European and Brazilian plane makers will bag from the upcoming American Airlines new order, that concluded today !
Well ! American Airlines has carefully made the order distributing the number of aircraft orders almost equally between the three major manufacturers, though Embraer topped the list with 5 additional planes.
The complete order of 260 planes includes 85 A321neos from European Airbus and a same number of narrow body Boeing 737 Max 10s. For Boeing's order, American converted a previous order for 30 Max 8s to the larger Max 10s.
The Fort Worth based airline also ordered 90 smaller E175 aircraft from Brazil's Embraer, as it aims to retire its entire fleet of 50-seat, single-class regional aircraft by the end of the decade.
The latest announcement takes the American's order to a total of 440 planes, some of which might not be be delivered until the next decade.
Could be seen as a vote of confidence for Boeing, American will more than double its 737 MAX order book from about 70 airplanes to more than 150, supporting the airline's long-term growth strategy for its domestic and short-haul international network.
Stan Deal, president and CEO of Boeing Commercial Airplanes said ,
"We deeply appreciate American Airlines' trust in Boeing and its confidence in the 737 MAX family. American's selection of the 737-10 will provide even greater efficiency, commonality and flexibility for its global network and operations," "Our team here at Boeing is committed to delivering on this new order and supporting American's strategic growth with one of the industry's largest and most modern fleets."
American's CEO Robert Isom said ,
"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," "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."
For its Airbus fleet , American Airlines, has signed a firm order for an additional 85 A321neo aircraft, taking its total order for the aircraft type to 219 aircraft.
As per Airbus, American Airlines took delivery of its first A321neo in February 2019, and 70 have been delivered as of January 31, 2024.
Benoît de Saint-Exupéry, EVP Sales, Commercial Aircraft, Airbus said,
“The continued investment in the A321neo is a testament to the unprecedented value of the world’s most versatile and capable single aisle aircraft,” “For nearly two decades, American Airlines has used its A320 Family of aircraft, some of which have been produced in the U.S. in Mobile, Alabama, to grow its domestic and short-haul international network and provide an exceptional experience for its passengers and crews.”
Arjan Meijer, President and CEO Embraer Commercial Aviation, said,
“The E175 is truly the backbone of the U.S. aviation network, connecting all corners of the country. One of the world’s most successful aircraft programs, the E175 was upgraded with a series of modifications that improved fuel burn by 6.5%. This modern, comfortable, reliable, and efficient aircraft continues to deliver the connectivity the U.S. depends on day after day. This represents American’s largest-ever single order of E175s, and we thank American for its continued trust in our products and people.”
American is planning to increase its first class segment on some of its narrow-body planes , the airline said Monday alongside its first investor day in more than six years.
