American Airlines was forced to ground its fleet of 300 ageing MD-80 short-haul planes

used on domestic routes across the US. This move led to “chaos” at US airports, reports Financial Times. Above all, this safety check programme follows similar grounding actions at leading US airlines, including Southwest Airlines, Delta and United Airlines. Les Echos points out that, after years of huge losses, the US carriers finally returned to profit last year. Yet, this achievement was possible thanks to drastic cost-saving measures and a freeze of aircraft purchasing plans. This strategy has now reached its limits, says the French newspaper, as US airlines’ ageing fleets are leading to higher fuel and maintenance costs, and facing tighter FAA regulation. Les Echos, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, Financial Times