STREAMLINING FLEET
American Airlines opts for Boeing craft
Chicago — American Airlines Group has ordered 47 Boeing 787 Dreamliners for long-range flying, dealing a blow to Airbus’s ambitions to expand its wide-body aircraft sales in the US. In a related move, American Airlines cancelled an order for 22 of Airbus’s twin-aisle A350 jets, a purchase placed by predecessor carrier US Airways, according to a statement. The Boeing deal is worth a total of $12.3bn before customary discounts. The move underscores the difficulty Airbus has faced in the US — the largest aviation market and a Boeing stronghold. The Dreamliner deal marks the second time in 2018 that Boeing has convinced an Airbus wide-body customer in the US to switch to the 787. Hawaiian Airlines, the sole customer for Airbus’s A330-800, decided in March to order 10 Dreamliners instead. Adding more of the fuel-efficient Boeing aircraft will allow American Airlines to simplify its fleet and shed some of its oldest long-range jets. Bloomberg had first reported on March 23 that American A...
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