“Of us, that is your captain talking. I’m sorry to say, we sadly have to divert, as we realized the aircraft we’ve been flying throughout the Atlantic all evening isn’t really licensed to land at our vacation spot airport…” That’s gotta be awkward, however that’s principally what occurred, per a captivating scoop by @xJonNYC.
Naples-bound American 787 diverts to Rome
American operates a seasonal day by day flight between Philadelphia (PHL) and Naples (NAP), AA780, operated by a Boeing 787-8. On Monday, June 2, 2025, the airline wanted to swap in a 787-9 as a substitute, with the license plate N837AN. There are all types of operational causes that would trigger an plane swap, and it wasn’t speculated to be a problem, because it’s only a barely bigger variant.
The flight departed Philadelphia roughly on schedule, at 7:42PM. The eight hour flight operated roughly as normal, till the plane began its descent.
At that time, the crew modified course, and as a substitute flew towards Rome (FCO), positioned 124 miles away. The climate in Naples was completely good, and no different flights diverted. So, what was the problem?
Properly, apparently the Boeing 787-9 wasn’t licensed to land in Naples, per the airport authority, and as reported by @xJonNYC. Man, discuss a tough motive for a diversion.
Why would a 787-8 be allowed, however not a 787-9? Whereas the distinction between the jets is marginal, clearly this exceeded some airport or operational restrict, maybe given the airport’s difficult terrain. No matter what the precise motive was, we all know that the aircraft not being licensed was the reason for this.
American’s Italian 787-8 & 787-9 switcheroo
With a Naples-bound Boeing 787-9 in Rome, how did American recuperate from this example? Properly, the airline acted quick, and appeared to deal with this gorgeous properly. American operates a seasonal day by day Rome to Chicago flight with a Boeing 787-8, so American swapped within the Boeing 787-9 for that flight, in order that it may unencumber the 787-8 with the license plate N880BJ to as a substitute function the Naples flight.
Nevertheless, this was a bit sophisticated, given most obligation hours for crews. American didn’t have a sensible technique to then fly the 787-8 to Naples the identical day, after the diversion. So the crew overnighted there, after which flew to Naples the next day. On June 4, American operated a 38-minute 787-8 flight from Rome to Naples, after which the identical afternoon, that aircraft continued from Naples to Philadelphia.
It’s not completely clear if the passengers on the unique transatlantic flight have been put in accommodations in Rome after which flown on that repositioning flight, or in the event that they acquired to Naples the identical day (by way of practice, different airline, and many others.).
Backside line
An American flight from Philadelphia to Naples was “upgraded” from a 787-8 to a 787-9 on the final minute. Nevertheless, unbeknownst to the airline, the 787-9 wasn’t really licensed to land in Naples. Consequently, the flight needed to divert to Rome. American then swapped a 787-8 that was speculated to fly from Rome to Chicago with the 787-9 that needed to divert, which minimized the disruptions.
Man, what a tough mistake to make. I’m wondering if this could’ve been apparent to American’s operations people, or if it was resulting from some very particular situation (like particular climate components).
What do you make of this American 787 diversion incident?
