Boeing and American Airlines announced today that AA’s A350 orders have been replaced by the Boeing 787, with an order of 47 additional B787s from the remaining orders yet to be filled. These orders will be split up between the B787-8 and the B787-9 with most being the B787-9.
This has long been rumored as AA did not want to create a subfleet of A350s from the contract that they inherited from US Airways. AA was already planning on removing their A330-300 aircraft by 2020 and were to be originally replaced by the A350 order but now will be by the B787 order.
Source https://www.instagram.com/p/BhPyfwjHNO-/?hl=en&taken-by=boeing
My opinion: I believe this is a far better move for AA especially since the less than 20 A350s would have been ordered. It would not be wise for AA to have a small number of captains and aircraft that can only operate on a small number of flights compared to expanding an already considerably large fleet that operates a larger route system. It also allows for pilots to share their type rating with the large fleet of B777s that AA has. Cancelliing the A350 order and turning them into a B787 order was a better logical step. This will help AA continue to streamline their fleet as they have planned in the next decade and will be a smoother running operation for long hauls.
