Delta Air Lines is in talks with Airbus to expand its current A220 aircraft order to the European manufacturer, according to Reuters.
According to reports, a new deal could be sealed at the Farnborough International Airshow, which begins on July 18th. Delta would include a purchase order for twelve additional aircraft. So far, the Atlanta-based company has ordered 95 Airbus A220s and has already taken delivery of 56 aircraft. It currently has 45 A220-100s and 11 A220-300s in its fleet.
The type brought greater flexibility to the network, one of the most important ones across the United States. Thanks to the aircraft’s performance, Delta can operate point-to-point routes over longer distances and with smaller aircraft.
The main airports where Delta uses the A220 are Austin (AUS), Salt Lake City (SLC), Detroit (DTW), Seattle (SEA), Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW), New York (especially at LaGuardia) and Minneapolis (MSP).
Ed Bastian, Delta’s CEO, recently told investors that he may confirm additional orders for new aircraft in the near future. While he did not confirm a deal with Airbus or Boeing, he said he sees good opportunities for large orders for single-aisle aircraft in the next few years. The company may also confirm an order for up to 100 Boeing 737 MAX 10 aircraft at Farnborough.
In this regard, Bastian said that Delta maintains «a pretty healthy stream of wide-bodies coming» and that «the focus in the back end of the five-year period is on the large narrow bodies».
Delta Air Lines’ current fleet
The company’s current fleet consists of 833 aircraft, with an average age of 14.7 years. It operates 24 Airbus A350-900s, 11 Airbus A330-200s, 31 Airbus A330-300s, 14 A330-900s, 127 Airbus A321s, 3 Airbus A321neo, 60 Airbus A320s, 56 Airbus A319s, 45 Airbus A220-100s, 11 Airbus A220-300s, 41 Boeing 767-300s, 21 Boeing 767-400ERs, 101 Boeing 757-200s, 16 Boeing 757-300s, 77 Boeing 737-800s, 131 Boeing 737-900ERs and 64 Boeing 717-200s.
See also: Delta reports net income of USD 735 million during the second quarter of the year
