The Middle Seat Terminal reports that JP Morgan counted the number of aircraft that U.S. airlines will be grounding this year. The total is… (drum-roll), 512 aircraft. These aircraft will be sent oversees to Russia, third world countries, or left to bask in the sun of the Mojave / Arizona deserts. In total, that’s about 10-12% of the U.S. capacity that is being grounded. It’s no doubt that the price of oil has played a role in this. Do not forget that many airlines are replacing old aircraft with new aircraft. A prime example of that is Continental Airlines, who is replacing most of it’s again 737-300 / 500 fleet with 737NGs (737-7/8/900ERs). New aircraft tend to be more fuel efficient and have a greater range. I think that we can expect to see more aircraft grounded as time goes on.
Here is the breakdown (from JP Morgan / The Middle Seat Terminal):
Continental: 67 mainline jets (737-300s and 737-500s); 64 regional jets
Delta: 15-20 mainline jets; 100 regional jets
United: 100 mainline jets (94 737s and six 747s)
American: 40 mainline jets (30 MD80s, 10 A300s);37 regional jets and 26 turboprops
Northwest: 47 mainline jets (14 757s/A320s and 33 DC-9s)
US Airways: 12 mainline jets
JetBlue: four regional jets
Image: flickr.com
One thing to consider, though, is that CAL’s 737NGs were supposed to be growth aircraft – now they’re just replacements.