American Airlines To Bring 141 Planes Out of Storage
Well, here’s some exciting industry news. American Airlines announced this week that they are taking 141 planes out of storage to accommodate the rising demand for air travel. The company will bring 83 Airbus SE A320 planes and 58 Boeing 737 jets back into operation. In the throes of the coronavirus pandemic, American Airlines took 435 planes out of service and retired 100 more. Delta has already reactivated 46 airplanes and plans to bring 30 more back into operation.
In further signs that airline travel could be recovering, several major airlines are planning a fuller travel schedule this summer. Delta plans to operate twice as many flights in July as they did in May. United is restoring 140 nonstop routes. American and Delta are both partially restoring some international service.
There is a reason to increase air traffic capacity right now. On June 7th, the TSA screened more than 441,000 people, the highest number of travelers since March 22. American Airlines has transported 127,000 people per day in June, up from 32,000 per day in April. While still considerably lower than last year, air travel is climbing from its record lows in April.
On Tuesday, the International Air Transport Association warned that the aviation industry is on track to lose $84 billion in 2020, and finish in the red next year too. The trade association predicts that ridership could fall by 54.7% annually, slashing revenue from $612 billion in 2019 to $241 billion in 2020.
