Industry Delta Air Lines orders 100 Airbus A321Neo

The A321Neo will feature 197 seats, including 20 in First Class, 30 in Delta Comfort+ and 147 in economy. Every seat will contain inflight entertainment, Wi-Fi and power ports. Further, the cabin is equipped with larger overhead bins and LED cabin lighting. Most A321Neos will be delivered from the Airbus manufacturing facility in Mobile, Alabama. The new aircraft will replace the old Boeing 757 and McDonnell Douglas MD-88 and MD-90 aircraft.

With the new deal, Airbus won an important race against Boeing, who hoped to be awarded with a contract about their 737 MAX series. Just recently, Boeing criticized Delta and Bombardier for arranging huge discounts for Bombardier CSeries aircraft.

Ed Bastian, Delta CEO, commented on the new deal: “This is the right transaction at the right time for our customers, our employees and our shareholders. Delta, Airbus and Pratt & Whitney share the same commitment to safety, efficiency, innovation and continuously improving the customer experience. This order for the state-of-the-art A321Neo with Pratt’s Pure Power next-generation jet engines reflects our long-term commitment to these values for Delta people and all our constituents.”

John Leahy, Chief Operating Officer — Customers, Airbus Commercial Aircraft added: “The A321Neo will equip Delta employees with a customer-preferred, versatile narrow body aircraft befitting their position as a global airline leader — and we are excited to continue to partner with them as they deliver industry-leading operational performance, customer satisfaction and financial results,” “This purchase furthers our commitment to U.S. aviation — a commitment that has never been stronger.  Today, there is more U.S. content in Airbus aircraft than from any other country, with more than 40 percent of our aircraft-related procurement coming from the United States.  In addition, our workforce at the U.S. Manufacturing Facility in Mobile, Alabama is proud that they will be delivering many of these A321Neos to Delta in the coming years.”

The new A321Neo aircraft will be powered by Pratt & Whitney geared-turbofan engines. Delta has announced a commitment with Pratt & Whitney for Delta TechOps to provide maintenance, overhaul and repair for the PW1100G and PW1500G engines.

“Pratt & Whitney’s commitment to complete over 5,000 engine repairs and overhauls at Delta TechOps is possible because of the high level of professionalism and quality MRO work the Delta TechOps team performs for the Delta fleet and to more than 150 additional airline and aviation customers based across the globe,” said Delta COO Gil West.

 Delta Air Lines is a U.S. American airline, headquartered in Atlanta Hartsfield. At the moment, the airline operates with over 850 aircraft, including widebody aircraft such as Boeing 777 and Airbus A350XWB.