DALLAS- American Airlines (AA) cancelled flight AA240 from Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW) to Rome Fiumicino (FCO) on September 4, 2025. The cancellation stemmed from an aircraft substitution that created a pilot qualification issue.
The airline planned to replace the Boeing 777-200 normally used on this route with a Boeing 787-8. While American Airlines had crew stationed in Rome (FCO), those pilots were certified only for the 777, not the 787.
Photo: Clément AlloingAmerican Airlines Sent Wrong Plane to Italy
Flight AA240 was scheduled to depart Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW) at 2:35 p.m. local time on Thursday, September 4, and arrive in Rome (FCO) the following morning. Instead, the 273-seat Boeing 777-200 was withdrawn and replaced by a 234-seat Boeing 787-8 operating as AA9606.
The issue arose because American Airlines relies on the same aircraft that arrives in Rome to operate the return flight to Dallas.
With the 787 arriving in place of the 777, the crew in Rome was unable to operate the return service. They are qualified on the 777 but not on the 787, making the scheduled flight back to Dallas impossible.
Representative Photo: American AirlinesWhy Could New Pilots Not Be Sent?
At first glance, sending 787-qualified pilots from Dallas (DFW) to Rome (FCO) to cover the return might seem like a solution. However, under U.S. Federal Aviation Regulations (Part 121), time spent “deadheading” — traveling as a passenger to reach an assignment — counts as duty time, not rest.
Since the DFW–Rome flight exceeds ten hours, any pilots sent as passengers would exceed their maximum duty hours and could not legally operate the return leg without a full rest period.
Regulations require at least 10 consecutive hours of rest, including 8 hours of sleep opportunity, before beginning a new duty period. This left American Airlines with no choice but to cancel the Rome–Dallas return flight, View from the Wing reported.
Photo: Clément AlloingPassenger Impact
The change of aircraft also reduced premium seating capacity. The Boeing 777-200 offers 37 business class seats, while the Boeing 787-8 provides just 20.
To comply with crew rest requirements on the long-haul flight, one of those seats is reserved for cabin crew, further reducing availability for passengers.
While travelers from Dallas to Rome still reached their destination, albeit with fewer business class seats, those scheduled on the Rome–Dallas return flight faced outright cancellation and rebooking challenges.
Photo: By Tomás Del Coro from Las Vegas, Nevada, USA – N803AL American Airlines Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner s/n 40621, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=63558701Bottom Line
American Airlines frequently swaps aircraft types across its transatlantic network to manage operational needs.
However, pilot qualification limitations between aircraft families — such as the Boeing 777 and Boeing 787 — create complications when schedule disruptions occur.
This incident illustrates how regulatory duty time rules and crew certifications intersect with operational planning, directly affecting passengers on both sides of the Atlantic.
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American Airlines Pilots Flies Wrong 787 Aircraft to Italy
The post American Airlines Sent Wrong Plane to Rome, Flight Cancelled appeared first on Aviation A2Z.
