American Airlines revealed today that it has placed orders for 260 new aircraft, comprising 90 Embraer E175s, 85 Boeing 737 MAX 10, and 85 Airbus A321neos. A further 193 aircraft are covered by options and buy rights included in the orders. American has upsized 30 current 737 MAX 8 orders to 737 MAX 10 aircraft as part of the Boeing purchase.

The orders strengthen the long-term viability of American’s domestic and short-haul international network by contributing to the airline’s ongoing investment in expanding premium seats throughout its narrowbody and regional fleets.

American has received over 600 mainline and regional planes since 2014. In order to fulfil the rising demand for air travel, American has extended its aircraft order book into the next decade with this announcement, bringing the total number of aircraft it has on order to 440.

The aircraft orders will help the United States maintain its moderate growth rate for the decade that follows and will also expedite the delivery timeline. With these orders taken into consideration, American anticipates that its capacity and capital expenditures will be within the range of its earlier guidance.

With the new order for 737 MAX 10, American is looking ahead and anticipating the aircraft’s certification. American Airlines will be able to expand its fleet and offer greater flexibility throughout its network with the arrival of the 737 MAX 10, in addition to the 737 MAX 8, which it now operates.

Larger, dual-class regional aircraft are what American plans on adding to its fleet in order to maintain connectivity between smaller markets and the rest of the airline’s worldwide network. By the end of the decade, the airline plans to retire all of its 50-seat single-class regional jets; larger regional jets will still be used to serve small and medium-sized markets.

Enhancements to existing aircraft

In order to meet the increasing demand from consumers for a high-end travel experience, American Airlines plans to convert its A319 and A320 aircraft starting in 2025. Larger overhead bins, redesigned seats with updated decor and finish, and power at every seat are just a few of the interior upgrades that will come with the refit.

More first-class seats will be added to American’s A319 fleet, for a total of 12 domestic first-class seats. The number of domestic first class seats on the A320 fleet will rise to 16 thanks to retrofits. The anticipated arrival of new aircraft and the scheduled maintenance of current aircraft would cause premium seating in American Airlines‘ fleet to increase by more than 20% by 2026.