American celebrates its first 737-800 in 7 years

Published 11:27 am Monday, April 13, 2009

It’s been a long time coming for American Airlines.

The U.S. legacy carrier will put two new Boeing 737-800s into service this week. These are the first Boeing 737-800s that American has added to its fleet since December 2001, more than seven years ago.

The airline is replacing its MD-80 fleet with 76 new Boeing 737s.

“Even as we battle many significant challenges, we must remain focused on our long-term future, which is what these new 737s represent,” said Gerard Arpey, Chairman and CEO of AMR Corp., in a press statemetn. “While our MD-80s remain an important part of our fleet and continue to serve our company and customers well, our new 737s are a vital investment that will benefit our customers, employees, shareholders and the communities we serve. They will help keep our product competitive while offering cost, environmental and operational benefits.”

Meanwhile, the delivery is good news for Boeing, too. Everyone is waiting to see how much Boeing will cut its 737 production rate.