American Airlines announced Monday that it has ordered 260 new planes in roughly equal numbers from Airbus, Boeing and Embraer. It is the airline’s largest aircraft order since 2011 and reflects the strength of demand for air travel.
The order consists of 85 Airbus A321neo aircraft, 85 Boeing 737 Max 10 aircraft and 90 smaller Embraer E175 aircraft. Boeing’s equal position in the deal suggests American remains confident in the manufacturer after a panel exploded from a Max 9 plane during an Alaska Airlines flight in January. This incident did not cause serious injuries, but it reignited concerns about the safety and quality of Boeing airplanes.
The airline’s chief financial officer, Devon May, told reporters in an interview Monday that American believed Boeing would improve quality after a preliminary federal investigation indicated the Alaska Airlines plane may have left its factory. Boeing without screws that are critical for fixing the panel.
“We know what their goals are: They will improve quality,” Mr May said. “They will continue to offer a safe product. And that is our expectation.”
Boeing’s deal includes an existing order for 30 smaller Max 8 jets, which were upgraded to the Max 10. That larger plane, which has yet to receive regulatory approval, can seat about 200 passengers.
American does not expect to take delivery of its first Max 10 planes until 2028, Mr. May said. The airline expects Boeing to be able to deliver those jets, but if the manufacturer fails, Mr. May said, American has made arrangements to replace those deliveries with other Max models or Airbus planes.
American’s A321neo planes also typically hold around 200 passengers.
Embraer Aircraft is a group of American regional subsidiaries that typically use the jets for shorter trips, often between smaller airports or from those locations to hub airports. The E175 usually seats around 76 passengers in economy and premium classes.
Embraer, the third largest aircraft manufacturer, is based near Sao Paulo, Brazil, and Airbus, the largest, is headquartered in Toulouse, France. Boeing, the second largest, is based in Arlington, Va.
“Over the past decade, we’ve invested heavily in modernizing and streamlining our fleet, which is the largest and youngest among U.S. network carriers,” American CEO Robert Isom said in a statement. “These orders will continue to fuel our fleet with newer, more efficient aircraft so we can continue to provide the best network and record operational reliability for our customers.”
American said the planes will help it achieve its twin goals of flying larger planes within the United States and on shorter routes, as well as offering more premium seats, which are much more profitable and growing in demand in recent years. The airline said it will also upgrade its existing Airbus A319 and A320 planes starting in 2025, expanding the first class, adding power to each seat and installing larger bins.
The order announced Monday is the largest by any US airline since 2021, when United Airlines announced plans to buy 200 planes from Boeing and 70 from Airbus. American’s last large plane order was in 2011, when it bought 260 Airbus and 200 Boeing planes.
