American Airlines ordered airliners from Airbus, Boeing, and Embraer – but its order for the 737 MAX-10 comes at a key moment for Boeing.

In 2011, American Airlines placed what was then the largest aircraft order in history. It amounted to 460 single-aisle aircraft, split between Airbus and Boeing. It included A320ceo and neo variants on the Airbus side, and 737-800s and 737 MAX-8s, from the Boeing camp.

More importantly, this was a pivotal order in getting the 737 MAX in production, driving Boeing away from an all-new 737/757 replacement. This week’s American Airlines announcement wasn’t quite as pivotal, but it features sizeable orders for the 737 MAX-10, from a very appreciative Boeing.

Last week, industry rumors suggested that Airbus would get the bulk of the upcoming order. The same rumors also said that the order would be for around 100 narrowbody jets, in total. Both of these estimates turned out to be false, although the numbers may have been changing constantly, until the very end.

737 MAX-10 Vs A321neo – American Picks Evenly (pending options and conversions)

So, the final tally is quite balanced between the two big rival manufacturers. American ordered 85 MAX-10 narrowbodies and the same number of A321neos. But the airline is also converting previous orders for 30 737 MAX-8s to MAX-10s, raising its commitment to the larger variant to 115 aircraft.

But the American Airlines order doesn’t just include the MAX-10 and the A321neo. The airline also ordered 90 Embraer E175s, for its regional subsidiaries. American already uses the type, but this is its single biggest order, as it replaces older 50-seat models.

As interesting as this order is, there are persistent rumors of another one coming soon, this time from United. The airline could place a three-digit order of A321neos, to replace its 737 MAX-10 orders. United is a 737 MAX-10 launch customer and originally expected to start taking deliveries in 2020.

If this development comes to pass, it will be difficult for the American Airlines order to “even out” United’s removal of the MAX-10 from its plans. American states that it has options and purchase rights for another 193 aircraft – without clarifying how this number is split between manufacturers and types.

In any case, American doesn’t seem to be in a hurry to take delivery of the largest 737 variant. Its first 737 MAX-10s won’t enter service before 2028. The airline currently has orders for a total of 440 aircraft.

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