American Airlines fleet

Airbus A319 about to land at Toronto

Airbus A321 at Los Angeles International Airport with another A321, a Boeing 777, a Boeing 737 and a Boeing 757 of the airline in the background

Airbus A330-300 on approach to land at Madrid

Boeing 757-200 at London's Heathrow Airport

Boeing 777-200ER just after taking off from Shanghai Pudong Airport

Boeing 787-8 on approach to land at Tokyo Narita Airport

Embraer 190 just after landing at Ronald Reagan National in Washington, DC

McDonnell Douglas MD-83 in older livery

Boeing 737-800 in special Astrojet retro livery, about to land at Miami in 2016.

Boeing 737-800 in special Air Cal heritage paint scheme at Miami

Boeing 767-300ER painted in Oneworld livery at Barcelona

American Airlines primarily operates a mix of Airbus and Boeing (including McDonnell Douglas) narrow-body and wide-body aircraft, as well as one narrow-body variant from Embraer. American is currently in the process of the largest fleet renewal in its history, with over 300 aircraft on order from Airbus and Boeing.^[1] American Airlines also announced a new livery to be painted on all aircraft. American Airlines expects to be done repainting all aircraft by the end of 2017, and has repainted a majority of its widebody aircraft.^[2]

Current fleet

All US Airways airframes were transferred to American Airlines on April 8, 2015 when a Single Operating Certificate was awarded by the Federal Aviation Administration.^[3]

American is the largest operator of Airbus A320 family aircraft in the world.^{[4][n 1]} It operates the largest fleet of A321 aircraft, and has the second largest A319 fleet, only behind easyJet.^[4] American also operates the fourth largest fleet of Boeing 737 Next Generation family aircraft worldwide (behind Ryanair, Southwest Airlines, and United Airlines), while having the second largest fleet of the Boeing 737-800 variant (the only Next Generation variant used by American), trailing Ryanair.^[5]

The following table represents all American Airlines mainline fleet types and layouts in service (including US Airways airframes) as of November 2016.^[6][7]

"W" class is Premium Economy that is offered for selected international wide body routes. "MCE" class is Main Cabin Extra that is offered for selected domestic narrow body routes.

American Airlines mainline fleet

Aircraft	In service	Orders	Passengers						Notes
			F	J	W	MCE	Y	Total
Airbus A319-100	125	—	8	—	—	18	102	128	To receive GoGo 2Ku satellite Wifi starting no later than 2018.[8]
Airbus A320-200	51	—	12	—	—	—	138	150	To receive GoGo 2Ku satellite Wifi starting in late 2017.[8]
Airbus A321-200	197	22	16	—	—	—	171	187	Deliveries through 2017. Replacing Domestic 757. Largest operator of the A321. Aircraft in 102-seat configuration used on New York-Los Angeles and New York-San Francisco transcontinental routes.
			16	—	—	32	133	181
			10	20	—	36	36	102
Airbus A321neo	—	100	TBA						Deliveries begin in 2019.[9]
Airbus A330-200	15	—	—	20	—	—	238	258	To be retrofitted with new Premium Economy class.[10]
Airbus A330-300	9	—	—	28	—	—	263	291	To be retired by 2018. Replacement: Airbus A350-900 and Boeing 787-9.[11]
Airbus A350-900	—	22	TBA						First two aircraft to be delivered in late 2018. Deliveries will proceed through 2022.[9][12] To feature Business Class and Premium Economy.
Boeing 737-800	282	22	16	—	—	30	114	160	Replacing MD-80.
Boeing 737 MAX 8	—	100	TBA						Deliveries begin in 2017.[13][14]
Boeing 757-200	51	—	14	—	—	—	176	190	Old US Airways Domestic configuration. To be phased out.
			24	—	—	52	108	184	Pre-merger American Airlines Domestic configuration. Being phased out and replaced by A321.
			12	-		30	146	188	New configuration for Hawaii-Phoenix services
			—	12	—	—	164	176	Old US Airways International configuration. To be retrofitted with new lie-flat Business Class seats & Wi-Fi.[15][16][17]
			—	16	—	52	108	176	Pre-merger American Airlines International configuration. To be retrofitted with lie-flat Business Class seats & Wi-Fi.[15][16][17]
Boeing 767-300ER	37	—	—	30	—	21	167	218	Twenty-five aircraft are retrofitted with 209-seat configuration with fully lie-flat Business Class seats. All nonretrofitted 767s will be phased out by the end of 2017. An additional eight aircraft to be retired in 2018, the last seventeen delivered to be retained.[18]
			—	28	—	25	156	209
Boeing 777-200ER	47	—	16	37	—	—	194	247	All aircraft in 247-seat configuration will be converted to 289-seat configuration.[19][20] Premium Economy class will be added to 260-seat aircraft over three years from 2015.[10][21] Aircraft in 289-seat configuration to be retrofitted with Premium Economy over three years from 2015.[20]
			—	45	—	45	170	260
			—	37	—	48	204	289
Boeing 777-300ER	20	—	8	52	—	30	220	310	First operator of the 777-300ER in the United States. To be retrofitted with Premium Economy over three years from 2015.
Boeing 787-8	17	3	—	28	—	57	141	226	To be retrofitted with new Premium Economy over three years from 2015.[10]
Boeing 787-9	3	19	—	30	21	27	207	285[22]	Deliveries begin in third quarter of 2016.[10] First aircraft to feature Premium Economy and new Business Class seats.
Embraer E190	20	—	11	—	—	—	88	99	To be phased out by the end of 2019.[23]
McDonnell Douglas MD-82	18	—	16	—	—	30	94	140	Fifty-two MD-80 series aircraft will be left in operation by the end of the 2016, with the remaining aircraft to be retired by the end of summer 2018[24][25] To be replaced by 737 and A321.
McDonnell Douglas MD-83	40	—	16	—	—	30	94	140
Total	932	288

Special liveries

Aircraft	Livery	Registration	Refs
Airbus A319	Allegheny Airlines Heritage Livery	N745VJ	[26]
	America West Heritage Livery	N838AW	[27]
	Pacific Southwest Airlines Heritage Livery	N742PS	[28]
	Piedmont Airlines Heritage Livery	N744P	[29]
Airbus A321	US Airways Heritage Livery	N578UW	[30]
Boeing 737-800	Air Cal Heritage Livery	N917NN	[31]
	American Airlines Astrojet Heritage Livery	N951AA	[32]
	American Airlines Flagship Liberty on old (1968-2013) livery	N905AN	[33]
	Reno Air Heritage Livery	N916NN	[34]
	Trans World Airlines Heritage Livery	N915NN	[35]
	Oneworld Livery	N837NN	[36]
		N838NN	[37]
Boeing 757-200		N174AA	[38]
Boeing 767-300ER		N343AN	[39]
Boeing 777-200ER		N791AN	[40]
		N796AN	[41]
McDonnell Douglas MD-83	American Airlines Flagship Tulsa partial on old (1968-2013) livery	N9405T	[42]

Fleet history

Notes:

• Eight Boeing 377s and seven Lockheed L-049 Constellations served in American Overseas Airways' transatlantic service and were acquired by Pan American World Airways.
• In early 1970 before AA took delivery of its own Boeing 747, the company leased two Pan Am 747-121s. These aircraft were painted in full AA livery, and were operated until early 1971, then returned to Pan Am after AA received its own new 747-123s.
• After American acquired Trans Caribbean Airways (TCA) in 1971, the company briefly owned TCA's fleet of five Douglas DC-8s (three -50s & two -61s).^[43] These aircraft were never operated by AA and were sold to other carriers. American continued to operate Boeing 727-200 aircraft that were previously flown by TCA.
• American operated a small fleet of five Convair 440 prop aircraft from the mid-1970s to 1980 in the Caribbean via a wholly owned subsidiary, American Inter-Island Airlines.^[44] Scheduled passenger service was operated between San Juan, St. Thomas and St. Croix until runway improvements were completed at St. Thomas thus permitting a return of American jet service following the crash of a Boeing 727-100 operating as American Airlines Flight 625 at St. Thomas (STX) on April 27, 1976. There is a small exhibit commemorating American Inter-Island at the American Airlines C.R. Smith Museum near Dallas/Ft. Worth Airport.^[45]
• Most Boeing 747–100 wide body aircraft were retired from passenger service in the late 1970s and served as freighters until their final retirement in 1985. Several were retired earlier with NASA acquiring one of the early retired aircraft in 1974 and then modifying it as a Shuttle Carrier Aircraft (SCA) in order to transport Space Shuttle Orbiter Vehicles. Early in its NASA career, the aircraft, N905NA, continued to carry the American Airlines tricolor cheatline before eventually being repainted.
• American briefly operated a Boeing 747-200C freighter for six months in 1984.^[46]
• Twenty-one Boeing 737-100/200/300s and eight British Aerospace BAe 146-200 aircraft that were operated between 1987 and 1992 were acquired with the assets of AirCal and primarily operated from AA's hub at San Jose International Airport.
• American briefly operated five McDonnell Douglas MD-87s and five MD-90s acquired through its takeover of Reno Air.^[47]
• American Airlines was the largest passenger McDonnell Douglas DC-10 operator before retiring this wide body type in 2000, operating a total of 55 DC-10-10s and 11 DC-10-30s.^[48]
• After acquiring Trans World Airlines (TWA), American operated 28 Boeing 717-200 and 8 McDonnell Douglas MD-81 aircraft between 2001 and 2003. American sold off TWA's fleet of Boeing 757-200s and Boeing 767-300ERs.^[49]
• American Airlines retired its Airbus A300-600R wide body aircraft in August 2009 after 21 years of service. Afterwards, American was an exclusive Boeing operator (including McDonnell Douglas aircraft, due to its merger with Boeing in 1997) until 2013, when it took delivery of its first Airbus A319.
• Aircraft that were acquired through the merger with US Airways that weren't previously operated by American included the Airbus A320, A330-200, A330-300, and the Embraer 190.

Notes

1. As of November 30, 2015, Airbus still lists American Airlines and US Airways as separate operators. However, following the merger of the airlines since April 2015, the total used here is combined for both carriers

References

1. "AMR Corporation Announces Largest Aircraft Order In History With Boeing And Airbus" (Press release). AMR Corporation. July 20, 2011. Retrieved August 4, 2011.
2. Terry Maxon. "American Airlines expects all airplanes to have new AA livery by end of 2017". Airline Biz Blog.
3. "American Airlines Receives Single Operating Certificate". Aero News Network. Retrieved 21 April 2015.
4. ORDERS & DELIVERIES, Airbus Int. Official, retrieved: 19 December 2015
5. "Boeing". boeing.com.
6. "American Airlines Fleet Details and History". Planespotters.net. November 15, 2016. Retrieved November 16, 2016.
7. "American Airlines (ATDB)". Aerotransport.org. AeroTransport Data Bank. Retrieved November 16, 2016.
8. "American Airlines to Complete Boeing 737, Airbus A319 Fleet Commonality". 14 June 2016. Retrieved 24 August 2016.
9. "Airbus Orders and Deliveries through June 30, 2015". Retrieved July 14, 2015.
10. "American Airlines Continues Innovation With Launch Of International Premium Economy". December 9, 2015. Retrieved December 9, 2015.
11. Bhaskara, Vinay. "ANALYSIS: American Airlines Will Retire the A330-300 by 2018". Airways News. Airways News.
12. "For the Airbus A350, The Honeymoon is Coming to an End". forbes.com. May 12, 2015. Retrieved May 12, 2015.
13. Terry Maxon. "American Airlines to defer delivery of Airbus A320neo aircraft". Airline Biz Blog.
14. "Boeing Orders and Deliveries Through June 2015". Boeing. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
15. "American Airlines to Spend 2 Billion on Passenger Upgrades". Airwaysnews.com. December 8, 2014. Retrieved April 21, 2015.
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17. "Boeing 757". www.aa.com. Retrieved 2015-08-05.
18. "American Airlines retires older planes from fleet". 16 May 2016. Retrieved 24 August 2016.
19. "check Out American Airlines' New Business-Class Seat". May 4, 2016. Retrieved May 6, 2016.
20. "American Airlines Will Get a Brand New Business Class Seat". September 24, 2015. Retrieved May 6, 2016.
21. "American had previously announced that B/E Aerospace would provide the seats for its new premium economy class". May 3, 2016. Retrieved May 6, 2016.
22. garyleff (2016-06-12). "American Airlines Announces First Routes for Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner". American Airlines Newsroom. Retrieved 2016-07-07.
23. Bhaskara, Vinay. "ANALYSIS: American Airlines Will Retire the A330-300 by 2018". Airways News. Airways News.
24. "American Airlines retires 20 MD-80s in one day". August 23, 2016. Retrieved August 23, 2016.
25. "Super 80 Send Off". August 23, 2016. Retrieved August 23, 2016.
26. "Allegheny heritage A319 logojet now with American titles". Bruce Drum/AirlinersGallery. Retrieved 2015-04-23.
27. "American Airlines' America West 2005 heritage retrojet". Bruce Drum/AirlinersGallery. Retrieved 2015-04-23.
28. "US Airways' PSA Airbus A319 retrojet with American titles". Bruce Drum/AirlinersGallery. Retrieved 2015-04-23.
29. "Piedmont Airlines A319 retrojet". Bruce Drum/AirlinersGallery. Retrieved 2015-04-23.
30. "American's US Airways hybrid heritage livery". Flightglobal. 2014-12-16. Retrieved 2015-04-23.
31. "Photo of N917NN". aa.com. Retrieved 2015-11-29.
32. "Photo of N951AA". planepictures.net. Retrieved 2015-04-23.
33. "Yellow ribbon aircraft include an American Airlines 757, Flagship Freedom; a 737, Flagship Liberty" (PDF). www.aa.com.
34. "Photo of N916NN". aa.com. Retrieved 2015-11-16.
35. "Photo of N915NN". aa.com. Retrieved 2015-11-19.
36. "American Airlines 737-800 OneWorld". Bruce Drum/AirlinersGallery. Retrieved 2015-04-23.
37. "American Airlines 737-800 OneWorld". Bruce Drum/AirlinersGallery. Retrieved 2015-04-23.
38. "Photo N174AA". planepictures.net. Retrieved 2015-04-23.
39. "First American 767-300 painted in the new Oneworld livery". Bruce Drum/AirlinersGallery. Retrieved 2015-04-23.
40. "American Airlines 777-200ER Oneworld". Bruce Drum/AirlinersGallery. Retrieved 2015-04-23.
41. "American Airlines 777-200ER Oneworld". Bruce Drum/AirlinersGallery. Retrieved 2015-04-23.
42. "Flagship Tulsa". jetphotos.net. Retrieved 2016-01-15.
43. http://www.airliners.net, photos of Trans Caribbean Airways DC-8 aircraft in storage at Greater Southwest Airport (GSW) in Texas (advanced search)
44. http://www.airliners.net, photos of American Inter-Island Convair 440 aircraft at St. Thomas airport (advanced search)
45. "C.R. Smith Museum - Aviation Through American History". C.R. Smith Museum.
46. "Airfleets.net". Airfleets.net. Retrieved December 2, 2011.
47. "Airfleets.net". Airfleets.net. Retrieved December 2, 2011.
48. "American Airlines". planespotters.net. Retrieved July 4, 2016.
49. "Airfleets.net". Airfleets.net. Retrieved December 2, 2011.