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.
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.
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