, the Delta Air Lines fleet consists of 992 mainline aircraft, making it the largest commercial airline fleet in the world.[1] [2] [3] Delta Air Lines operates a fleet manufactured by Airbus and Boeing.[4]
Delta operates the world's largest fleets of the Airbus A220, Boeing 717, and Boeing 757, the largest passenger fleet of the Boeing 767, and the largest Airbus A330 fleet of any US airline.
Delta has historically preferred purchasing or leasing used aircraft or using older-generation models to keep initial acquisition costs down. To support this business model, Delta has also invested in an extensive MRO (maintenance, repair, and overhaul) organization called TechOps. However, Delta has acquired lower-priced newer aircraft via discounts on slower-selling models and as aircraft manufacturers transition to newer designs. As a result, Delta flies the second-oldest fleet among the legacy carriers, and the average fleet age has been reduced to 15.3 years.[5]
Before its 2008 merger with Northwest Airlines, Delta's fleet was made up solely of American manufacturers' aircraft (except the Airbus A310, which was acquired from the collapsed Pan American World Airways). Aircraft from overseas manufacturers like Airbus joined the fleet after the merger with Northwest, and more have since been added.
Delta operates the largest fleets of the Airbus A220, Boeing 717, and Boeing 757, the largest passenger fleet of the Boeing 767, and the largest Airbus A330 fleet of any US airline.[6] [7] [8] [9] Alongside United Airlines, it is one of only two airlines operating the Boeing 767-400ER.
Delta primarily uses narrow-body aircraft for its domestic flights within the United States and international flights from the United States to Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, and some European destinations. Most of its Boeing 717 aircraft are based out of Atlanta and are mainly used for short-haul flights.[10] Its Airbus A220, Airbus A320, Boeing 737 and Boeing 757 aircraft are used for short-haul flights and medium-haul transcontinental flights.
Delta primarily uses its wide-body aircraft on long-haul flights to Africa, Asia, Europe, Oceania, and South America. Its Airbus A330s, Boeing 767-300ERs,[11] and Boeing 767-400ERs mainly operate on flights to Europe, while the Airbus A350-900 mainly operates on flights to Asia and Oceania.
Since 2013, Delta has been working to reduce the age of its fleet by purchasing or leasing newly built aircraft or newer model used aircraft. Since launching the effort, Delta has preferred to purchase aircraft from Airbus, a major change for the company which had been a loyal customer of Boeing and McDonnell Douglas (which merged with Boeing in 1997). At the time, Delta had over 200 DC-9, MD-88 and MD-90 aircraft from McDonnell Douglas in its fleet. Replacing these older aircraft was a top priority for Delta.
For its narrow-body fleet, Delta acquired 277 aircraft from the Airbus A321 series and 119 aircraft from the Airbus A220 series. The first major purchase came in September 2013, when Delta ordered 30 A321 aircraft, its first order with Airbus in more than two decades.[12] This order would later be incrementally increased to 127 aircraft with 15 more added to the order in 2014,[13] an additional 37 in 2016,[14] and 40 more in 2017.[15] [16] Since 2017, Delta has also purchased a total of 155 A321neo (new engine option) aircraft, with an initial order for 100 aircraft in December 2017,[17] followed by a purchase of 55 more in 2021.[18] [19] Delta placed its first order for 75 A220 aircraft in April 2016, when the program was still managed by Bombardier Aerospace. Delta purchased the aircraft at a steep discount: $19.6m each, well below their $33.2m production cost, which led Boeing to accuse the company of dumping the aircraft. Delta would later increase its order to a total of 145 A220 aircraft.
For its wide-body fleet, Delta acquired 25 Airbus A330neo and 42 of the newly introduced Airbus A350 aircraft. The A330neo and the first 25 A350 aircraft were purchased in November 2014. The A350 fleet was increased assuming the purchase rights for 10 aircraft from LATAM as part of a deal to acquire a 20% equity stake in LATAM Airlines Group in September 2019 and by leasing 7 used aircraft in July 2021.[20]
Delta has also acquired some aircraft from Boeing. The airline purchased 29 used Boeing 737-900ER aircraft in July 2021 and also agreed to purchase 100 Boeing 737 MAX 10 aircraft in 2022.
As a result of the fleet renewal, Delta was able to retire its McDonnell Douglas MD-88/MD-90,[21] Boeing 777,[22] and Boeing 737-700 fleets in 2020.[23]
On January 12, 2024, Delta placed an order for 20 Airbus A350-1000 with options to buy 20 more.[24]
, Delta Air Lines operates the following mainline aircraft:[25]
| Aircraft | In service | Orders | Aircraft capacity | Notes | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| J | F | P | W | Y | Total | Refs | |||||
| Airbus A220-100 | 45 | - | - | 12 | - | 15 | 82 | 109 | [26] | Largest operator. | |
| Airbus A220-300 | 26 | 74 | - | 12 | - | 30 | 88 | 130 | [27] [28] [29] [30] | Deliveries until 2028. | |
| Airbus A319-100 | 57 | - | - | 12 | - | 18 | 102 | 132 | [31] | Former Northwest Airlines fleet. | |
| Airbus A320-200 | 59 | - | - | 16 | - | 18 | 123 | 157 | [32] | ||
| Airbus A321-200 | 127 | - | - | 20 | - | 29 | 142 | 191 | [33] | ||
| Airbus A321neo | 62 | 93 | - | 20 | - | 42 | 132 | 194 | [34] [35] [36] | Deliveries until 2027. | |
| 16 | - | 12 | 54 | 66 | 148 | ||||||
| Airbus A330-200 | 11 | - | 34 | - | 21 | 24 | 144 | 223 | [37] | Former Northwest Airlines fleet. | |
| Airbus A330-300 | 31 | - | 34 | - | 21 | 24 | 203 | 282 | [38] | ||
| Airbus A330-900 | 29 | 10 | 29 | - | 28 | 56 | 168 | 281 | [39] [40] | Largest operator. | |
| Airbus A350-900 | 32 | 12 | 32 | - | 48 | 36 | 190 | 306 | [41] [42] [43] | ||
| 30 | - | 63 | 246 | 339 | |||||||
| 40 | 40 | 36 | 159 | 275 | |||||||
| Airbus A350-1000 | - | 20 | TBA | [44] | Deliveries begin 2026.[45] | ||||||
| Boeing 717-200 | 88 | - | - | 12 | - | 20 | 78 | 110 | [46] | Former AirTran Airways fleet. Largest operator. | |
| Boeing 737-800 | 77 | - | - | 16 | - | 36 | 108 | 160 | [47] | ||
| Boeing 737-900ER | 163 | - | - | 20 | - | 21 | 139 | 180 | [48] | Largest operator. | |
| 12 | 6 | 162 | 180 | ||||||||
| 12 | 24 | 137 | 173 | ||||||||
| Boeing 737 MAX 10 | - | 100 | - | 20 | - | 33 | 129 | 182 | [49] | Deliveries by 2027. | |
| Boeing 757-200 | 105 | - | - | 20 | - | 41 | 132 | 193 | [50] | Largest operator. | |
| 29 | 150 | 199 | |||||||||
| 16 | - | 44 | 108 | 168 | |||||||
| - | 72 | - | - | 72 | |||||||
| Boeing 757-300 | 16 | - | - | 24 | - | 32 | 178 | 234 | [51] | Former Northwest Airlines fleet. | |
| Boeing 767-300ER | 43 | - | 26 | - | 18 | 21 | 151 | 216 | [52] | Largest operator. To be retired by 2030.[53] | |
| - | 35 | 165 | 226 | ||||||||
| 36 | - | - | 32 | 143 | 211 | ||||||
| Boeing 767-400ER | 21 | - | 34 | - | 20 | 28 | 156 | 238 | [54] | Largest operator. | |
| Total | 992 | 309 | |||||||||
| Aircraft | Total | Introduced | Retired | Replacement | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Airbus A310-200[55] [56] | 9 | 1991 | 1995 | Boeing 767-300ER | [57] |
| Airbus A310-300 | 23 | 1996 | |||
| Boeing 727-100 | 8 | 1972 | 1977 | Boeing 727-200 | Former Northeast Airlines fleet.[58] |
| Boeing 727-200 | 183 | 2003 | Boeing 737-800 Boeing 757-200 McDonnell Douglas MD-90 | One crashed as Flight 1141. | |
| Boeing 737-200 | 75 | 1983 | 2006 | Boeing 737-800 McDonnell Douglas MD-88 McDonnell Douglas MD-90 | One damaged as Flight 1581. |
| Boeing 737-300 | 31 | 1987 | Boeing 737-800 | ||
| Boeing 737-700 | 10 | 2008 | 2020 | Airbus A220 Airbus A319-100 | Early retirement accelerated due to the COVID-19 pandemic. |
| Boeing 747-100 | 5 | 1970 | 1977[59] | Lockheed L-1011 TriStar | Early retirement accelerated due to the 1970s Oil Crisis. |
| Boeing 747-400 | 16 | 2008 | 2018 | Airbus A350-900 | Former Northwest Airlines fleet. Last major passenger 747 operator in North America.[60] N661US ship 6301, the first 747-400 is displayed at the Delta Flight Museum. |
| Boeing 767-200 | 15 | 1982 | 2006 | Boeing 737-800 Boeing 757-200 | N102DA ship 102 named The Spirit Of Delta, is displayed at the Delta Flight Museum. |
| Boeing 767-300 | 28 | 1986 | 2019 | Airbus A321-200 Boeing 737-900ER | Only airline in the US to operate the non-ER version of the Boeing 767-300. |
| Boeing 777-200ER | 8 | 1999 | 2020[61] | Airbus A330-900 Airbus A350 | Early retirement due to the COVID-19 pandemic. N867DA was acquired by the Arizona Cardinals as team transport. 5 B777-200LR's transferred to Air India for lease.[62] |
| Boeing 777-200LR | 10 | 2008 | |||
| Convair CV-240 family | 18 | 1953 | 1970 | McDonnell Douglas DC-9 | Originally decided to buy Martin 2-0-2s but in 1951 ordered ten CV-340s instead. Eight CV-440s were delivered from 1956 and Delta modified retrospectively its 340s to 440s.[63] |
| 10 | Ordered by Chicago and Southern Air Lines were delivered to Delta due to their merger in 1953. | ||||
| Convair CV-880 | 17 | 1960 | 1973 | Boeing 727-200 | One written off as Flight 954. |
| Curtiss C-46 Commando | 5 | 1957 | 1967 | Lockheed L-100 | [64] |
| Douglas DC-3 | 21 | 1940 | 1960 | Convair CV-240 family | [65] |
| 3 | Curtiss C-46 Commando | Acquired after World War II and operated between 1946 and 1957.[66] | |||
| Douglas DC-6 | 12 | 1949 | 1968 | Douglas DC-8 McDonnell Douglas DC-9 | Passenger amenities included a six-person lounge in the rear of the cabin and two pairs of aft-facing seats in the forward cabin.[67] |
| Douglas DC-7 | 11 | 1954 | Douglas DC-8 | [68] | |
| Douglas DC-7B | 10 | ||||
| Douglas DC-8-11 | 22 | 1959 | 1981 | Boeing 727-200 | Operated the world's first scheduled DC-8 service (from New York to Atlanta) on September 18, 1959. DC-8-11s were converted to -12s then further converted to -51s.[69] Once crashed at Flight 9877. Two hijacked as Flight 841 and Flight 821. |
| Douglas DC-8-12 | |||||
| McDonnell Douglas DC-8-51 | |||||
| McDonnell Douglas DC-8-33 | 7 | 1968 | 1974 | Boeing 747-100 | Utilized for transatlantic interline services. |
| McDonnell Douglas DC-8-61 | 13 | 1967 | 1989 | Boeing 757-200 | |
| McDonnell Douglas DC-8-71 | Leased from UPS Airlines. Converted in-house to DC-8-71s in 1982-83. | ||||
| Fairchild Hiller FH-227 | 5 | 1972 | 1974 | McDonnell Douglas DC-9 | Former Northeast Airlines fleet.[70] |
| Lockheed L-100 Hercules | 5 | 1966 | 1973 | None | Retired after delivery of wide-body passenger aircraft with large under-floor cargo compartments. |
| 3 | Converted to L-100-20 by Lockheed. Various replacement aircraft were leased from Lockheed during the conversion program.[71] | ||||
| Lockheed L-749 Constellation | 10 | 1953 | 1958 | Douglas DC-7 | Acquired through the purchase of Chicago & Southern Air Lines.[72] |
| Lockheed L-1011 TriStar | 70 | 1973 | 2001 | Boeing 767 | Largest L-1011 operator, including the long-range L-1011-500. One crashed as Flight 191. |
| McDonnell Douglas DC-9-14 | 17 | 1965 | 1973[73] | Boeing 737-200 | Launch customer. One crashed as Flight 9570. |
| McDonnell Douglas DC-9-30 | 77 | 1967 | 1993 | One crashed as Flight 723. One hijacked as Flight 523. | |
| 27 | 2010 | 2010 | Boeing 717-200 McDonnell Douglas MD-90 | Former Northwest Airlines fleet. Never wore Delta livery.[74] | |
| McDonnell Douglas DC-9-41 | 12 | 2011 | |||
| McDonnell Douglas DC-9-51 | 34 | 2014 | Former Northwest Airlines fleet. N782NC ship 9873 preserved at Northland Community & Technical College. N767NC ship 9858 preserved at Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport for fire training. N675MC ship 9880 preserved at Delta Flight Museum. | ||
| McDonnell Douglas DC-10-10 | 5 | 1972 | 1976 | Lockheed L-1011 TriStar | Ordered in 1971 due to delays in the development of the Lockheed TriStar, sold to United Airlines before delivery then leased back by Delta. |
| 9 | 1987 | 1988 | Former Western Airlines fleet.[75] | ||
| McDonnell Douglas MD-11 | 17 | 1990 | 2004 | Boeing 767 Boeing 777-200ER | |
| McDonnell Douglas MD-88 | 120 | 1987 | 2020 | Early retirement accelerated due to the COVID-19 pandemic. One written off as Flight 1086. One was damaged as Flight 1288. | |
| 65 | 1995 | Early retirement accelerated due to the COVID-19 pandemic. First and final MD-90 operator. |