American Airlines to buy 260 new planes from Airbus, Boeing and Embraer to meet growing demand

DALLAS (AP) — American Airlines announced a massive order for new planes on Monday, splitting 260 new aircraft between Airbus, Boeing and Embraer in a move designed to meet growing travel demand and increase the airline's supply of premium seats.

American said it placed options for up to 193 more planes over the next several years.

The package of orders includes 85 A321neo planes from Europe's Airbus and an identical number of similarly sized Boeing 737 Max 10s. American converted a previous order for 30 Max 8s to the larger Max 10s.

The Fort Worth, Texas-based airline also ordered 90 smaller E175 aircraft from Brazil's Embraer.

The planes are all single-aisle, so-called narrow-body aircraft that American will use for flights within the United States and to nearby international destinations.

American CEO Robert Isom said the airline has invested heavily in the last decade — more than 600 planes, including those used by its regional affiliates — to modernize and simplify its fleet, which is already the largest among U.S. carriers.

“These orders will continue to fuel our fleet with newer, more efficient aircraft so we can continue to deliver the best network and record-setting operational reliability for our customers," Isom said in a statement.

The announcement means that American now has orders for 440 planes, some of which aren't scheduled to be delivered until the next decade.

American made the announcement, which had been widely expected, a few hours before an investor day meeting with Wall Street analysts in New York.