An American Airlines Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner was transported to San Antonio (SAT) following a reported tugboat accident at John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) in New York.

Flight information

The extent of the American Airlines
Damage to Boeing 787-9 widebody aircraft is unclear. However, the aircraft was fit enough to fly from New York John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) to San Antonio International Airport (SAT) on December 20, 2024.

The flight between the two cities took four hours. According to Flightradar24.com, the aircraft was originally scheduled to enter service on December 19, 2024, but the flight was canceled.

The aircraft tracking data also shows that the 787-9 Dreamliner has been grounded at JFK Airport since November 29, 2024. Prior to the ground incident, the aircraft was operating on long-haul flights between Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD) and London Heathrow Airport (LHR) in the United Kingdom, among others.

Simple Flying has reached out to American Airlines for comment.

Airplane information

The aircraft is American Airlines’ 8.4-year-old Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner, registered as N820AL, which was delivered to the airline in September 2016.

According to ch-aviation, the airline’s Boeing 787-9 aircraft can accommodate up to 285 passengers in a four-class cabin layout: 30 in Business Class, 21 in Premium Economy, 36 in Economy Plus and 198 in the economy class. As of July 31, 2024, the 787-9 completed 31,117 flight hours and 3,761 flight cycles.

Ground damage is relatively common and repairing affected aircraft can be extremely expensive. The causes of soil damage, regardless of the cause, are usually due to simple human error.

In an interview with Aviation Pros, Terry Yeomans, director of the International Standard for Business Aircraft Handling (IS-BAH) program, shared insights based on limited data collected over the past six years.

He revealed that 26% of aircraft damage involves contact with ground support equipment (GSE) or ground vehicles. Towing or pushing back aircraft accounts for 25% of incidents, while collisions between aircraft account for 10%. Additionally, 15% of incidents involve aircraft hitting immovable objects such as buildings or light poles.

American Airlines Boeing 787 delivery delays

Prolonged maintenance work can have a significant impact on an airline’s route network. Currently, the Dallas Fort Worth-based airline is also facing delays in the delivery of new Boeing 787 Dreamliners. As a result, the airline was forced to reduce the frequency of certain long-haul flights and adjust its international route network for the upcoming spring season.

In a comment to Simple Flying, the airline said:

“Due to ongoing Boeing 787 delivery delays, American is adjusting service on certain routes in spring 2025 to ensure we can reaccommodate customers on affected flights. We will proactively reach out to our affected customers to provide alternative travel arrangements and remain committed to mitigating the impact of these Boeing delays while continuing to offer a comprehensive global network.”

American Airlines currently has an extensive fleet of Boeing 787 Dreamliners. According to ch-aviation, the fleet includes 37 Boeing 787-8 and 22 Boeing 787-9 widebody aircraft with an average age of 6.6 years. The airline is currently waiting for 30 787-9s.

American Airlines is not the only airline experiencing route network adjustments due to delays in the delivery of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner. In a recent announcement, British Airways said it would be cutting its summer flights between London Heathrow Airport (LHR) and Abu Dhabi Zayed International Airport (AUH) in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).