American targeting 200-jet long-haul fleet by 2029

American Airlines forecasts its fleet of long-haul aircraft will increase from about 125 to 200 jets by the end of the decade. That target figure includes about 40 anticipated Airbus A321XLRs. Fort Worth-based American detailed fleet-growth plans during its 23 December earnings call, with CE Robert Isom suggesting that American’s relatively young aircraft will provide an edge over its network airline competitors as capital expenditures will remain relatively low through 2029. “We already have the lowest average age of our fleet,” he says. “We don’t have retirements coming up. As others have to invest in their fleet… and with the difficulty of aircraft delivery these days, I really like where we’re at.” American does not specify when it expects to take delivery of the first of 50 CFM International Leap-1A turbofan-powered A321XLRs it has on order with Airbus. But both American and JetBlue Airways have previously said they expect to receive their first A321XLRs this year, while United Airlines expects to take its first of the type in January 2026. The variant of the narrowbody A321neo – certificated by both the European Aviation Safety Agency and the Federal Aviation Administration last year – has been marketed by Airbus as an economical solution for long-range flights connecting secondary cities. <br/>