American Airlines (AA, Dallas/Fort Worth) has reportedly threatened Boeing with the cancellation of 17 built but not delivered B737-8s as the airline has been struggling to secure financing for the aircraft, the Wall Street Journal and CNBC reported citing their respective sources.

The aircraft were completed during 2019 after the B737 MAX family was grounded. American Airlines initially hoped to take them this year, considering the widespread hope that the type would be recertified in a matter of months. However, according to sources, the financing on the aircraft has expired, and American Airlines is having troubles securing new funds for the transaction.

Neither the manufacturer nor the airline commented on the report.

According to sources, one way of salvaging the deliveries would be to enter a sales/lease-back agreement with Boeing Capital.

The threatened cancellation does not affect the remainder of American Airlines' outstanding order for fifty-nine B737 MAX 8s. According to the ch-aviation fleets module, the airline took delivery of 26 of the type before the March 2019 grounding, which makes it the second-largest operator of the B737 MAX globally, on par with Air Canada (AC, Montréal Trudeau) and China Southern Airlines (CZ, Guangzhou), and only behind Southwest Airlines (WN, Dallas Love Field).

American Airlines owns nine of its delivered B737 MAX 8s and leases the remainder from ORIX Aviation (11) and BBAM (four), the ch-aviation fleets ownership module shows.