Under the agreements, American said it plans to acquire 460 narrowbody, single-aisle Boeing 737 and Airbus A320 aircraft beginning in 2013 through 2022 – what the company is calling the largest aircraft order in aviation history. Starting in 2017 American said it will become the first network U.S. airline to begin taking delivery of “next generation” narrowbody aircraft that will further accelerate fuel-efficiency gains. These new deliveries are expected to give American the youngest and most fuel-efficient fleet among its U.S. airlines.
AMR also said it will benefit from approximately $13 billion of committed financing provided by the manufacturers through lease transactions that will help maximize balance sheet flexibility and reduce risk. The financing fully covers the first 230 deliveries. “Today’s announcement paves the way for us to achieve important milestones in our company’s future, giving us the ability to replace our narrowbody fleet and finance it responsibly,” said Gerard Arpey, chairman and CEO of AMR. “This was an incredible opportunity for our company that presented itself from two great manufacturers. And, given our aggressive and ambitious fleet plans, we feel fortunate to have both Boeing and Airbus standing beside us to meet our needs. With today’s news, we expect to have the youngest and most fuel-efficient fleet among our peers in the U.S. industry within five years.”
Under the agreement with Boeing, American plans to acquire a total of 200 additional aircraft from the 737 family, with options for another 100 737 family aircraft. American has the flexibility to convert the new deliveries into variants within the 737 family, including the 737-700, 737-800 and 737-900ER. American will take delivery of 100 aircraft from Boeing’s current 737NG family starting in 2013, including three 737-800 options that had been exercised as of July 1, 2011. American also intends to order 100 of Boeing’s expected new evolution of the 737NG, with a new engine that would offer even more significant fuel-efficiency gains over today’s models.
American also will acquire a total of 260 Airbus aircraft from the A320 family and will have 365 options and purchase rights for additional aircraft. American has the flexibility to convert its delivery positions into variants within the A320 Family, including the A319 and A321. American take delivery of 130 current-generation Airbus A320 Family aircraft beginning in 2013. Beginning in 2017 American will begin taking delivery of 130 aircraft from the A320NEO (New Engine Option) family featuring next-generation engine technology. The new aircraft are approximately 15 percent more fuel efficient than today’s models. American will be the first network airline in the U.S. to deploy this new-technology aircraft.
The 737 and A320 families offer significant cost reduction opportunities in replacing American’s older fleet. For example, Boeing and Airbus aircraft in the 737 and A320 families offer a 35 percent reduction in fuel cost per seat versus the MD-80 and a 12 percent and 15 percent fuel cost reduction per seat, respectively, versus the 757 and 767-200. The agreements with Boeing and Airbus also will continue American’s fleet simplification efforts, allowing American to transition four fleet types (MD-80, 737-800, 757 and 767-200) to two (the 737 and the A320 families)
In 2009 and 2010, American took delivery of 76 737-800s. The airline has taken or is scheduled to take delivery of a total of 54 737-800s from 2011 into 2013. American also has firm orders for eight Boeing 777-300ER widebody aircraft to be delivered in 2012-2013. In addition, it has plans to acquire 42 state-of-the-art Boeing 787 Dreamliners, to be delivered starting in late 2014, with options for 58 additional 787s. American also has firm orders for seven 777-200 widebody aircraft scheduled for delivery in 2013 through 2016.
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