American Airlines has announced plans to accelerate the retirement of around 100 aircraft, as “flying schedules and aircraft needs are fine-tuned during this period of record low demand”.
The carrier said that the “unique step” would see it retire some of its older, less-fuel efficient aircraft sooner than originally planned, comprising a total of five aircraft types.
AA said that the retirement of its A330-300, B757-200, B767-300ER, Embraer E190 and Bombardier CRJ200 fleets would “remove operating complexity and will bring forward cost savings and efficiencies associated with operating fewer aircraft types”.
The airline added that the move would also help it “focus on flying more advanced aircraft as we continue receiving new deliveries of the Airbus A321 neo and the Boeing B737 Max and B787 family”.
AA’s narrowbody fleet will be simplified to just two cockpit types – the Airbus A320 and Boeing B737 families.
Last month several carriers within the Lufthansa Group announced plans to retire aircraft as a result of the ongoing Covid-19 crisis.
Lufthansa will decommission selected A380, B747 and A320s, as well its entire fleet of A340-600s, while Austrian Airlines is retiring half of its B767 fleet as well as all of the carrier’s A319s.
American Airlines has provided a snapshot of the aircraft leaving its fleet, as follows:
A330-300
- Joined the US Airways fleet in 2000 prior to joining AA’s fleet in 2013 following the announcement of the merger of the two airlines
- Nine A330-300s were in the AA fleet as of January 1, 2020
- The aircraft flew mainly transatlantic routes, with some domestic service.
B757-200
- Joined the America West fleet in 1987 and American Airlines in 1989
- 34 B757-200s were in the AA fleet as of January 1, 2020
- The aircraft flew mostly mainland domestic and Hawaii routes, with some transatlantic and Latin America service
B767-300ER
- Joined American Airlines in 1988
- 17 B767-300ERs were in the AA fleet as of January 1, 2020
- The aircraft flew mainly transatlantic routes, with some domestic, Hawaii and Latin America service
Embraer E190
- Joined the US Airways fleet in 2006 prior to joining American’s fleet in 2013
- 20 E190s were in the AA fleet as of January 1, 2020
- The aircraft flew domestic routes, with extensive support for American Airlines Shuttle
Bombardier CRJ200
- Joined PSA Airlines (a subsidiary of the American Airlines Group) in 2003
- 19 CRJ200s were in the fleet as of January 1, 2020.
- The aircraft flew domestic routes on the East Coast, with service primarily from American’s hubs in Charlotte, Washington DC and Philadelphia
