American Airlines places new orders with Airbus, Embraer and Boeing, including 85 737 MAX planes

The American Airlines company placed a mega order on Monday for 260 single-aisle planes divided between the European Airbus, the American Boeing and the Brazilian Embraer, the aircraft manufacturers announced on Monday. With Airbus, the company signed for 85 A321neo for a list price, never applied due to the discounts granted, of more than 11 billion dollars. The company thus brings the number of A321s to 219, of which 70 have already been delivered, ordered from the European industrial giant.

American Airlines also ordered 85 of the largest version of the 737, the MAX-10, which is not yet certified, for a list price of more than $11.5 billion. In addition to the 85 MAX-10s ordered, the contract with Boeing also provides for the conversion of a previous order for 30 smaller MAX-8s into MAX-10s and purchase options for 75 additional aircraft. American Airlines already operates 59 examples of the 737 MAX and has 71 more on order.

It has finally placed a firm order with Embraer for 90 E175s, a single-aisle aircraft capable of carrying 76 passengers, for a list price of more than $7 billion, according to Embraer. The order comes with purchasing rights for 43 additional devices. The MAX-10 will be able to carry a maximum of 230 passengers over 5,740 kilometers compared to 244 passengers over 7,400 kilometers for the A321.

“Over the past decade, we have invested significantly to modernize and simplify our fleet, which is both the largest and youngest American airline,” says American Airlines CEO Robert Isom, quoted in the press releases. “These orders will continue to fuel our fleet with newer, more efficient aircraft,” he adds.

Boeing's new setbacks with the 737 MAX-9, its flagship aircraft, which culminated in an in-flight incident at the beginning of January on an Alaska Airlines plane, have not dissuaded the American company from betting on the aircraft. In January, Robert Isom, however, explained that he considered “reliability and safety, immediately, as soon as he left the factory” “very seriously”.

Airbus and Boeing, whose order books are full for several years, are both engaged in a strong increase in pace to deliver the planes ordered, even if the American regulator, the FAA, has for the moment suspended any additional increase in pace at Boeing, time to resolve production problems. Airlines, which are renewing their fleet with more fuel-efficient aircraft, therefore emitting less CO2, and to cope with the growth in air traffic, therefore plan years in advance for the number of aircraft they will need. over the next decade.