American Airlines Pilots Flies Wrong 787 Aircraft to Italy

A Costly Mistake: Plane Too Big to Land in Naples

An American Airlines flight intended for Naples, Italy, had to be diverted mid-air because the plane sent was too large for the airport’s capabilities. Flight 780, which took off from Philadelphia on Monday evening, was scheduled to land in Naples at 10 a.m. local time on Tuesday. However, it was forced to divert to Rome after nearing the Italian coastline.

According to flight tracking data from Flightradar24, the aircraft — a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner — came within 70 miles of Naples before abruptly changing direction over the Tyrrhenian Sea and heading north to Rome Fiumicino Airport.

Wrong Aircraft Sent: Boeing 787-9 vs. 787-8

American Airlines typically uses the Boeing 787-8 on its transatlantic routes to Naples. However, this time it deployed the larger Boeing 787-9, which, although similar in wingspan, is about 20 feet longer than the 787-8. That extra length makes a big difference when it comes to airport safety classifications.

The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and Boeing documentation indicate that the 787-9 requires a higher Rescue and Firefighting Services (RFFS) category — Category 9 — while the smaller 787-8 only needs Category 8.

According to AviationWeek’s Acukwik data, Naples International Airport qualifies only for Category 8 services, making it unsuitable for the larger variant.

“Operational Limitations” Cited as the Reason

An American Airlines spokesperson told Business Insider that the diversion occurred due to “operational limitations,” though they did not initially specify the aircraft size issue. Aviation enthusiasts and sources on X (formerly Twitter), including user @xJonNYC, revealed that Naples Airport authorities do not allow landings for Boeing 787-9 aircraft due to the RFFS classification gap.

Requests for official comment from Naples and Rome airport authorities went unanswered, likely due to the inquiry being sent outside of Italian business hours.

What Happened to the Passengers?

After landing in Rome at approximately 9:45 a.m., American Airlines arranged for buses to transport the displaced passengers from Rome to Naples, a road journey that takes over two hours and covers approximately 145 miles.

“We apologize to them for this disruption to their journey,” the airline spokesperson said, adding that the airline worked to ensure passengers continued their journey as smoothly as possible despite the unexpected detour.

Flight 787-9’s Next Journey: From Rome to Chicago

After the detour and deplaning of passengers, the Boeing 787-9 didn’t remain idle for long. Within two-and-a-half hours, the same aircraft took off again — this time as Flight 111 to Chicago, according to Flightradar24.

Not an Isolated Incident

This isn’t the only example of passengers being redirected by bus after a flight diversion this week.

On Wednesday, a Ryanair flight experienced severe turbulence caused by a thunderstorm, leading to injuries for eight passengers, three of whom had to be hospitalized. That flight, originally bound for Milan, had to divert to Memmingen, Germany. The remaining passengers were then placed on a four-and-a-half-hour bus ride to reach their final destination.

Takeaway: Operational Oversight Can Be Costly

This situation underscores how even minor differences in aircraft specifications — like the 20-foot increase in fuselage length — can have serious operational consequences. While the passengers were ultimately taken to their intended destination, the logistical costs, inconvenience, and public attention could have been avoided with more careful planning.

As air travel continues to bounce back post-pandemic, airlines will need to pay closer attention to airport infrastructure limitations when assigning aircraft to international routes.