American Airlines sends jet too large for Naples, diverts flight to Rome

An American Airlines transatlantic flight bound for Naples, Italy, was forced to divert to Rome after the airline dispatched an aircraft too large for the intended airport, resulting in passengers being bused over two hours to their final destination.

Flight 780 departed Philadelphia on Monday evening at 19:42 local time, scheduled to land in Naples at 10:00 Tuesday morning. However, just 70 miles from its destination, the Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner veered away from the southern Italian city and diverted north to Rome Fiumicino Airport, landing at approximately 09:45.

American Airlines attributed the diversion to “operational limitations.” Flight data reviewed by aviation tracking service Flightradar24 confirms that the aircraft involved was a Boeing 787-9, a variant typically longer than t