American Airlines forced to axe flight routes in 2022 due to lack of planes

Airline blames Boeing for delivery delays

(AFP via Getty Images)

American Airlines has had to axe a number of international flight routes from its 2022 schedule due to a lack of planes.

Hong Kong services won’t resume next year, while the carrier is also dropping all flights to Edinburgh, Scotland and Shannon, Ireland.

Flights to Dubrovnik, Croatia, and Prague, Czech Republic are also getting the chop.

The number of services to Shanghai and Beijing in China and Sydney, Australia are all being severely reduced; the launch of a proposed Seattle-Bangalore route has been pushed back.

AA has blamed its failure to operate a full schedule on planemaker Boeing and aircraft delivery delays.

“Continued delivery delays of Boeing 787 aircraft have provided unique challenges in planning international flying months in advance,” an airline spokesperson told View From The Wing.

“As a result, American will not resume service to Edinburgh, Scotland (EDI), or Shannon, Ireland (SNN), in 2022. And as demand remains soft in Asia, American is discontinuing service to Hong Kong (HKG).

“American has also adjusted operations on some existing Asia and South America routes and reduced frequencies, allowing the airline to offer more options to customers next summer.”

The carrier has claimed that it is 13 aircraft behind on expected deliveries, having ordered a number of Boeing 787s in 2018.

However, View From The Wing has argued the lack of planes is as much due to AA as it is to Boeing – the carrier chose to retire all of its Boeing 757s and 767s, Embraer E-190s and Airbus A330s during the pandemic.