Delta Air Lines recently placed an order for up to 60 Boeing 787-10s, which will be delivered as of 2031. This is a major development for the airline, given the carrier’s wide body fleet renewal has otherwise been centered around Airbus jets, making this a big win for Boeing.
However, since that order, JonNYC has been hinting that there could be another wide body aircraft order, specifically for Airbus aircraft. Well, as usual, he nailed it, and the order came even faster than most of us were expecting. Delta has just announced an order for over 30 Airbus jets, which I’d consider to be pretty significant.
Delta adds 31 Airbus wide body jets, deliveries start 2029
Delta has just placed a firm order for 31 Airbus wide body jets, including 16 A330-900neos and 15 A350-900s, which will be delivered as of 2029. With this, Delta’s A330-900neo fleet will increase to 55 aircraft, while the A350 fleet will increase to 79 aircraft, including 20 A350-1000s, which will be delivered as of 2027.
This order combines a new, incremental order, with the exercising of 10 existing options. As the airline describes it, Delta’s fleet is undergoing a significant renewal and expansion, to match its international and premium growth strategy in the next decade and beyond. With this latest announcement, Delta now has 85 wide body aircraft on order.
The new wide body aircraft will add more capacity to medium and long haul international markets, while improving fuel efficiency and margins. Here’s how Delta CEO Ed Bastian describes this:
“As we grow our international footprint and prepare our fleet to serve expanded long-haul markets, these aircraft will enhance our capabilities and elevate our premium offerings. We value our long-standing partnership with Airbus, and with these widebody aircraft we will see long-term growth and cost benefits for years to come.”
The timeline of deliveries with these planes starting in 2029 makes perfect sense. That’s because Delta plans to take delivery of all of its A350-1000s in 2027 and 2028 (at this point deliveries may realistically stretch into 2029, given delays), while the Boeing 787-10s will only be delivered as of 2031. So the airline obviously had a gap to plug there, and these planes will help with that.
How these Airbus jets fit into Delta’s fleet renewal
With this latest aircraft order, here’s the current state of Delta’s “next generation” wide body fleet renewal:
- Delta has 39 Airbus A330-900neos, with 16 more on order (thanks to what was just announced), to be delivered as of 2029
- Delta has 40 Airbus A350-900s, with 19 more on order (four were previously on order, and 15 were just announced), and deliveries of those are ongoing
- Delta has 20 Airbus A350-1000s on order, to be delivered in 2027 and 2028, plus options for 20 more
- Delta has 30 Boeing 787-10s on order, to be delivered as of 2031, plus options for 30 more
Then in terms of Delta’s previous generation wide body aircraft:
- Delta has 11 Airbus A330-200s, which are an average of 21 years old
- Delta has 31 Airbus A330-300s, which are an average of 17 years old
- Delta has 38 Boeing 767-300ERs, which are an average of 29 years old
- Delta has 21 Boeing 767-400ERs, which are an average of 25 years old
I think Delta’s order for a mix of A330-900neos and A350-900s is logical. When you look at the current state of things, Delta needs some more “workhorse” wide body jets in the long run. Keep in mind the A350-1000s are largely supposed to be used for ultra long haul expansion, including to destinations in Asia, the Middle East, and India, which aren’t currently served. So if you view those planes as being for growth rather than fleet renewal, then you realize why Delta needed to order more planes.
The airline has 91 older generation aircraft that eventually need to be retired, while the airline now has a total of 85 wide body aircraft on order (that number includes the 31 that were just announced). Now, admittedly the A330-300s in particular could easily fly for another decade (or even longer… we’re talking about Delta here), so clearly the goal here is to grow the fleet, rather than just refresh it.
The A330-900neos can basically serve any Delta destination in Europe or South America, and in some cases, even destinations in North Asia (though at this point Delta has an all-A350 strategy across the Pacific). Meanwhile the A350s can be used for virtually any route, so provide lots of flexibility.
I think what’s so interesting is the number of wide body planes that each of the “big three” carriers now has on order:
- United has 141 wide body aircraft on order
- Delta has 85 wide body aircraft on order
- American has 19 wide body aircraft on order
Talk about three very different visions, so it’s going to be interesting to see how this all plays out.
Bottom line
Delta recently placed a firm order for 30 Boeing 787-10s, with 30 options. Now the airline has placed an additional order with Airbus, for 31 more wide body planes. This includes 16 A330-900neos and 15 A350-900s.
This order makes perfect sense — at least in the long run, Delta needs more next generation wide body aircraft. A330-900neos are great for any missions to Europe and South America, while A350-900s are great for expansion to Asia, the South Pacific, etc.
Perhaps the most interesting thing is just how far apart the “big three” US carriers are with their wide body aircraft orders. United is being most aggressive, American is being least aggressive, and Delta is somewhere in the middle.
What do you make of Delta’s Airbus aircraft order?
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