Posted on 06/09/2025 7:43:13 AM PDT by Red Badger
I think someone is in big trouble over at American.
American Airlines made a slight mistake which turned into a big mistake as a flight from Philly was descending into Naples, Italy.
The plane was too big.
Yep. The plane went to and from the right place, with all the right passengers, on time as far as we know. But someone at American made the mistake of "upgrading" the plane to a size too big for the Naples airport.
On June 2, 2025, the transatlantic flight, normally operated by a Boeing 787-8, had been upgraded to a larger 787-9 (registration N837AN) for operational reasons. However, this seemingly minor change had major consequences mid-descent ...
According to a scoop by aviation source @xJonNYC and reported by OMAAT, the Boeing 787-9 variant used that day was not authorized to land at Naples Airport.
American diverted to Rome to land the slightly oversized aircraft.
And I've gotta say, there are a lot worse places one could be diverted to.
Although the 787-9 is only marginally larger than the 787-8, these differences can impact airport compatibility, especially in geographically constrained regions like Naples.
Whether the oversight stemmed from a breakdown in internal communications or was triggered by nuanced local regulations, the case underscores the importance of aligning aircraft assignments with airport operational clearances.
I guess someone needs to do some doublechecking before the next international flight!
They somehow made it work, though.
The airline already operated a Rome - Chicago (ORD) route using a 787-8, allowing them to make a strategic swap.
The diverted 787-9 was reassigned to the Rome - Chicago service, freeing up a 787-8 (registration N880BJ) for the Naples flight.
However, due to crew duty hour limitations, the airline couldn't immediately continue the journey.
The 787-8 and its crew overnighted in Rome and completed the short 38-minute hop to Naples the next day, June 4. The aircraft then returned to Philadelphia later that afternoon.
This sounds terrible, and what's even more terrible is that we don't really know whether the passengers were made to wait for the plane or got to Naples another, faster way.
Aviation Ping!.................
DEI hiring ...
Any bets the dispatcher had purple hair and nose rings?
I worked with a horrible person who landed a pax plane at an unsecured airport.
It was delicious. (pax were ok)
Seems like airport specs would be somewhere in the first 5 check-boxes when adding an airplane into the route.
If the 9 series isn’t authorized to land at Naples. I would question why the 8 series is. Doesn’t seem like much wiggle room if the 8 series comes in hot...
“or got to Naples another, faster way”
The train takes about 30 minutes from FCO(Rome) to the main Rome train station. From there the train to Naples is one hour because it goes 300 Kilometers per hour. That is 183 MPH.
I rode it last October. It is pretty impressive. It is also clean and brings you right into the heart of the city OR you can get off at the station about 10 miles outside of Naples near Pompeii. Which is closer to the Amalfi coast. Where most people traveling there are destined.
Wouldn’t the pilots have that info readily available or in their heads?.................
This is a mistake made by someone in the flight planning department!
This was a human error. Could happen to anyone. As an error goes (especially when aircraft are concerned) this was very minor as anyone that has watched the tv program MAYDAY would know.
A fat chick with purple hair, nose rings, and a pretty "wife".
Size limits are hard and fast. The -8 would be just under the limit, and the -9 just over the limit. But that means that the -8 is clear to land and the -9 is no-go.
The -9 could probably have landed safely, but limits are limits and regulations are regulations.
The original Mechanic!!! one of my all time B movie favorites...
Guess not.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.
