American Airlines Weighs Airbus Deal as Widebody Orders Dwindle
American Airlines is facing a shortage of long-haul aircraft, with just 19 widebodies left on order. This is in stark contrast to its rivals Delta and United, which have 78 and 135 widebody orders respectively.
The airline's current fleet consists of 67 Boeing 777s and 70 Boeing 787 Dreamliners, but it needs to replenish its stock due to the dwindling order book. A persistent rumor suggests that American is considering ordering Airbus A330-900neos instead of more Boeing 787s.
The A330neo is cheaper, right-sized for American's needs, and can be delivered sooner than a 787. Ben Schlappig, founder of One Mile at a Time, notes that 'the wild card would be an A330-900neo order... since that actually seems like a pretty good fit for American.'
American retired its entire ex-US Airways A330 fleet early in the pandemic and chose not to bring them back when demand returned. If it does order the A330neo, it will be paying to re-introduce a type it already owned and walked away from.