American Airlines planes grounded and resumed flights after a one-hour grounding caused by technical issues, AP reported on Tuesday. The airline did not disclose the exact malfunction that led to the suspension of operations.
The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) ordered the grounding of the entire American Airlines fleet in the U.S. at 7 a.m. Eastern Time (1 p.m. Polish time). The aviation oversight body stated in a release that American Airlines had requested this measure, though no detailed explanation of the decision was provided.
As noted by AP, the grounding of American Airlines aircraft could have impacted other airlines and millions of travelers during the holiday season.
The U.S. Transportation Security Administration (TSA) estimates that from Christmas through January 2, more than 40 million people will travel by air.
During the holiday season, most airline tickets are sold out, making the cancellation of any flight more troublesome than usual. This often triggers a cascading effect, with disruptions lasting several days.
American Airlines History
American Airlines is one of the three remaining “big” U.S. airlines (alongside Delta and United) established before the industry’s deregulation in 1978.
The company was founded in 1930, with its headquarters located in Fort Worth, Texas.
Since 2015, American Airlines has been the largest airline in the U.S. in terms of fleet size and passenger traffic. It is also a founding member of the Oneworld airline alliance.
American Airlines Fleet
As of December 2024, the American Airlines fleet consisted of 976 mainline aircraft, making it the third-largest commercial airline fleet globally. The fleet includes planes manufactured by Boeing and Airbus.
Over 80% of the fleet comprises narrow-body aircraft from the Airbus A320 and Boeing 737 families. American Airlines is the world’s largest operator of A320-family aircraft and the largest operator of A319 and A321 models.
Since March 2019, American Airlines has recorded nearly 60 hull-loss incidents, beginning with the crash of a Ford Trimotor in 1931. Most of these incidents involved propeller-driven aircraft, including three Lockheed L-188 Electras. One of these crashes, Flight 320 in 1959, resulted in fatalities.
American Airlines planes grounded – Accidents and incidents
The two deadliest accidents in the airline’s and U.S. aviation history were Flight 191 in 1979 and Flight 587 in 2001.
Out of 17 hijackings involving American Airlines, two planes were commandeered and destroyed during the September 11 attacks. Flight 11 crashed into the North Tower of the World Trade Center, while Flight 77 struck the Pentagon. The crash of Flight 11, which claimed approximately 1,700 lives, remains the deadliest aviation disaster in history.
