Delta Air Lines Implementing Major Fleet Renewal

As the first Airbus A220s enter service in the United States, Delta Air Lines has begun the next stage of its largest ever fleet renewal.

Over the past decade the Atlanta-based carrier has recovered from near bankruptcy to become the industry leader in the United States. Having rebuilt its balance sheet, Delta is now building for the future.

Over the next three years the carrier will take delivery of 222 planes, with a further 108 slated to arrive in the following years – some 330 in total.

This year alone Delta will welcome 24 Airbus A220-100s - as the former Bombardier C Series project finally takes to the skies in the United States.

The new aircraft will initially be used on routes from New York LaGuardia to Dallas and Boston. A year ago, the plane was mired in discussions over potential import duties.

The dust only settled following an Airbus’ decision to take over production of the aircraft and open a manufacturing facility in Mobile, Alabama.

Delta will also welcome 32 Airbus A321-200, four Airbus A330-900neo, two Airbus A350-900, 18 Boeing B-737-900ER and seven Bombardier CRJ-900 jets to its fleet this year. In total, 87 new planes will be welcomed, the largest number in the history of the carrier.

The new arrivals mark a change of trajectory for Delta, which for years has sought to lower capital spending by purchasing used jets and retrofitting them.

This has allowed the company to reduce its adjusted net debt by billions of US dollars in recent years.

That, however, left Delta with an aging fleet of aircraft, with the average age of its planes surpassing 16 years before the current overhaul.

Old planes, of course, burn fuel less efficiently – and with fuel prices again creeping up, Delta is acting to cut costs.

First to go will be McDonnell Douglas MD-88 and MD-90s, of which Delta currently owns and operates more than 100, and the Boeing 717, of which there are currently 91 in service, though largely through leasing.

The Boeing 757, of which there again more than 100 currently in operation, will follow. There is also a drive to retrofit existing planes in order to bring them up to newer standards, including the introduction of the Delta One business class cabin.

Delta currently operates 18 777-200s and plans to convert all of them in a new 296-seat configuration by the end of 2019.