New York, March 5 (AFP/APP):American Airlines unveiled a large order on Monday of narrow-body planes from European giant Airbus, Brazil’s Embraer and Boeing, including a model from the US giant that has yet to be certified.
The order comprises 260 new planes, plus options for an additional 193 aircraft, American Airlines said in a news release.
“Over the past decade, we have invested heavily to modernize and simplify our fleet, which is the largest and youngest among US network carriers,” said the company’s CEO Robert Isom.
“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.”
The announcement includes a firm order for a further 85 Airbus A321neo jets, bringing the total number of the European manufacturer’s largest single-aisle aircraft American has ordered to 219, Airbus said.
American also reached agreement to buy 90 of Embraer’s E175 planes, which can seat up to 76 passengers, plus options for as many as 43 more planes from the Brazilian company.
With Boeing, American Airlines ordered 85 Boeing 737 MAX 10, the biggest version of the MAX family that has remained popular with customers despite problems.
The Boeing part of the announcement includes a conversion of orders of 30 of the smaller 737 MAX 8 to the MAX 10, which is still being certified by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
The Airbus order is worth upwards of $11 billion, based on list prices for the plane, while the Boeing order is worth some $11.5 billion and Embraer’s more than $7 billion.
