American Airlines is, without a doubt, one of the world’s largest airlines. Looking at the carrier’s numbers in 2024, it was the third-largest airline in the world in terms of revenue, the number two in available seat miles (ASMs), and the absolute number one in terms of passengers carried. The second-largest airline by passenger numbers, Delta Air Lines had 25 million fewer annual passengers compared to American. But, perhaps even more interesting is the fact that United Airlines leads in terms of ASMs but is only the fourth largest in terms of passengers carried, clearly illustrating that American operates more and shorter flights on average compared to competitors such as United and Delta.

Based on these statistics, it is no surprise that American operates a massive narrowbody short-haul fleet. As a matter of fact, the airline currently operates the largest narrowbody fleet in the world, with a massive 877 aircraft in its mainline fleet. For comparison, Delta and United operate 829 and 828 narrowbodies, respectively. According to ch-aviation, the 877 narrowbody aircraft in American’s fleet include 391 Boeing 737 family and 486 Airbus A320 family aircraft. Combined, this large fleet is scheduled to operate 94,317 flights, offering close to 15.9 million seats in December 2025.

A Look At American Airlines’ Narrowbody Boeing Fleet

Currently, American’s Boeing narrowbody fleet consists of 88 examples 737 MAX 8, and 303 older 737-800 examples. These sub-fleets have an average age of 3.9 years and 16.1 years, respectively, according to planespotters.net. Combined, the entire 737 fleet averages out at an age of 13.3 years. Onboard, the two aircraft types feature the same cabin configuration with 172 seats divided over 16 in domestic first class, 24 in main cabin extra, and 132 in main cabin or economy class.

Considering the large share of 737-800s in the fleet, it is no surprise that this aircraft type also leads in utilization. In December 2025, the aircraft type was scheduled to operate 32,990 flights, offering almost 5.7 million seats. The 737-800 and 737-8 combined are scheduled to operate 42,675 flights offering close to 7.2 million available seats, according to aviation data and analytics firm Cirium.

In addition to the 737 aircraft in American’s fleet today, the airline is awaiting delivery of 12 more 737 MAX 8 airframes and 115 larger 737 MAX 10s. According to Boeing, this extended variant offers the best per-seat economics of any narrowbody aircraft with a capacity of up to 230 seats in an all-economy configuration and a range of 3,100 nautical miles (5,740 km). The order for these MAX 10 aircraft was placed back in March 2024 and includes 85 brand-new orders and the conversion of 30 smaller MAX 8s. American also announced the option to purchase 75 additional MAX 10 aircraft in the future. It supports American’s long-term growth ambitions for its domestic and short-haul international network, allowing for commonality and flexibility to capture growing travel demand. As of today, deliveries of the 737-10 are expected to start in 2027. However, with Boeing’s ongoing production delays, it remains unclear if this is feasible and in what quantities.

At the time of the order, American’s CEO Robert Isom commented on the importance of acquiring modern aircraft.

« Over the past decade, we have invested heavily to modernize and simplify our fleet, which is the largest and youngest among U.S. network 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. »

A Look At American’s Narrowbody Airbus Fleet

As for American’s narrowbody Airbus fleet, there is more diversity in terms of aircraft variants. The airline currently operates 132 examples of the A319, 48 A320s, 218 A321s, 85 A321neos, and just 3 A321XLR’s. Combined, the Airbus sub-fleet is scheduled to operate 52,642 flights offering just shy of 8.7 million seats.

American is the largest operator of the A319, and it is the smallest aircraft in American’s mainline fleet, with 128 to 132 seats. All A319 airplanes are being retrofitted with additional domestic first-class seats. On average, the airlines’ A319s are 21.7 years old. The 48 A320s have an average age of 24.7 years and offer a total of 150 seats with 12 domestic first class seats, 18 in the main cabin extra, and 120 in the regular main cabin.

Besides being the largest operator of the A319, American is also the largest operator of the A321. This sub-fleet has an average age of 13.4 years, and the majority of these 218 planes offer 190 seats in total across three cabin classes: 20 in Domestic First, 35 in Main Cabin Extra, and 135 in the regular Main Cabin. In addition, 15 A321s are configured in a premium heavy transcontinental configuration (the A321T) with only 102 seats, including 10 lie-flat Flagship First seats, 20 Flagship Business seats, 36 Main Cabin Extra Seats, and only 36 regular Main Cabin seats. However, the days are numbered for the A321T, as they are being retrofitted to the standard A321 configuration. The new A321XLR is set to replace the aircraft variant on transcontinental routes.

Last but not least, American also operates the newer A321neo variant and has recently begun taking delivery of the A321XLR. The A321neo has an average fleet age of 13.4 years and features a configuration similar to the A321, albeit with six additional seats in the regular Main Cabin. The exception is 10 A321neos, which were acquired from Alaska Airlines. The planes have the exact same configuration as the A321. The newest aircraft in the fleet is the long-awaited A321XLR, which is set to reshape American Airlines’ transcontinental and transatlantic operations. These A321XLRs feature a configuration of 20 Flagship Suites, 12 Premium Economy seats, 12 Main Cabin Extra seats, and 111 Main Cabin seats, totaling 155 seats. As of writing, the airline is still awaiting delivery of 95 A321neos and 47 A321XLRs.

The New Airbus A321XLR

As mentioned earlier, new to American’s narrowbody fleet is the Airbus A321XLR. The airline placed its order for this aircraft type back in June 2019, and operated the first scheduled flight of the type on December 18, between New York (JFK) and Los Angeles (LAX). As additional aircraft enter the fleet, the A321XLR will replace the A321T on transcontinental routes. Other transcontinental routes announced earlier include Boston (BOS) to Los Angeles as well as New York to San Francisco (SFO).

Besides replacing the A321T on transcontinental routes, the introduction of the A321XLR also marks a new chapter for the American long-haul network, after facing problems with aircraft shortages following the accelerated retirement of older aircraft during the pandemic. Due to these shortages, American was forced to reduce its presence in the long-haul market to and from the United States. With the arrival of the A321XLR, this is set to change, as the aircraft combines narrowbody capacity and efficiency with a widebody range, allowing American to use the aircraft to expand its transatlantic and South American network with smaller secondary destinations.

The first transatlantic route to see A321XLR operations is the recently announced New York-Edinburgh (EDI) route, starting in March 2026. This new route will complement the seasonal service between Philadelphia (PHL) and Edinburgh, launched last summer. According to the airline’s Senior Vice President of Network Planning, Brian Znotins, other potential destinations include smaller markets in France, Spain, Italy, Germany, and the United Kingdom.

“After a successful summer in Edinburgh, American is excited to offer a second route to give travelers more access to one of their favorite destinations. With the game-changing Airbus A321XLR now in our fleet, we could not be more excited to connect the Big Apple with Auld Reekie. This is the right aircraft to open this route and with an elevated premium experience for travelers to enjoy.”

In addition to transatlantic and transcontinental flights, the airline also mentioned the possibility of basing the A321XLR in Miami or Dallas/Fort Worth for service to, for example, Brazil. Brazil is American’s strongest long-haul market, and the A321XLR is very well suited to serve new routes between Miami and secondary markets in Brazil. Technically, these routes can also launch from Dallas, but would commercially be less likely, as Miami has stronger O&D demand for Latin America.

« So, the XLR also introduces an ability for us to fly new markets like JFK to Edinburgh, across Europe, and even South America, » Znotins noted. « By having an airplane that’s properly sized for the demand of smaller markets, you’ll see us adding destinations in secondary France, Spain, Italy, Germany, and the UK. »