ATLANTA- In the late spring, prominent media outlets reported that Delta Air Lines (DL) was exploring the possibility of acquiring both Airbus A350 (-1000s) and Airbus A330neos. It seems that this order is on track to be finalized this month.
While Delta placed an order for Boeing 737 MAXs, most of its fleet comprises Airbus aircraft. Currently, the airline operates around 67 Airbus A330 and 28 A350-900 widebodies, with an additional 16 and 14 of each on order, respectively. Notably, Delta utilized taxpayer bailout funds to procure 10 of their European A350s.
Delta A350 Order
Recent developments suggest increased activity, with aviation watchdog JonNYC indicating that an order for new Airbus widebody planes is expected to be officially announced in the coming weeks, likely before the end of the year.
As the year-end approaches, Airbus likely aims to finish on a strong note, especially considering that Boeing announced 295 aircraft orders at the Dubai Air Show last month, overshadowing Airbus’s 86 orders.
Traditionally, Delta has favored acquiring used aircraft, managing them effectively through their TechOps business, resulting in a notably aged fleet, reported ViewfromtheWing.
Their strategic approach involves acquiring planes at favorable prices. Initially, Delta was predominantly a Boeing carrier until the merger with Northwest. Interestingly, the move to sell A320 family planes to Northwest during that time has proven to be a highly beneficial decision.
New Routes Opportunity
These newly considered long-haul aircraft could potentially serve routes to India, Dubai, and Melbourne.
They may even indicate a revival of services to Singapore and other distant destinations in Asia, presently connected only through Seoul by joint venture partner Korean Air. Speculations point to Delta’s interest in the A350-1000.
The A350-1000 stands as the largest Airbus widebody aircraft currently in production. Its highest density configuration accommodates up to 480 passengers (increased from the previous maximum of 440), as demonstrated in the layout adopted by low-cost long-haul carrier French Bee.
Qantas (QF) plans to utilize a more passenger-centric Airbus A350-1000 for their ultra-long-haul ‘Project Sunrise’ flights.
While Airbus emphasizes a fuel efficiency advantage over the Boeing 777-300ER and the upcoming 777-9, the A350-1000 is a substantial aircraft that finds optimal application on dense routes, such as U.S. to Europe, particularly when airports like London Heathrow (LHR) and Amsterdam (AMS), face capacity constraints.
Seasonal deployment between major markets like New York and Paris is also conceivable, though there is a risk of significantly reducing yields in many other scenarios to achieve full capacity.
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