American Airlines Is Getting Ready to Retire 45 of Its Oldest 737s

American Airlines Group Inc. plans to retire 45 of its oldest Boeing Co. 737 jets over the next two years as part of an overhaul aimed at lowering the age of its workhorse narrow-body fleet.The Fort Worth carrier plans to withdraw 12 of the aircraft next year and 33 in 2020, or about three a month. American's oldest 737-800s are almost 19 years old, although recent deliveries have reduced the group's average age to 8.1 years, according to the airline's annual report. American had 304 of the Boeing model at the end of last year, making up nearly one-third of its main jet fleet."It's strictly an age-based retirement at this point," American spokesman Josh Freed said Thursday. "We have some that we took back in 1999." Older planes tend to require more maintenance than newer models.  Continue reading...

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