Industry Delta Air Lines orders 12 additional Airbus A220 aircraft
Aircraft manufacturer Airbus has announced, that Delta Air Lines will exercise its purchase options for 12 additional A220-300 aircraft.
Delta Air Lines, one of the largest carriers in the United States and the worlds, has signed a purchase agreement with Airbus over 12 additional Airbus A220-300 aircraft. With this latest order, Delta now has 131 total firm orders for the aircraft family: 45 A220-100s and 86 A220-300s.
It is already the fifth re-order by the carrier, underlining that the airline plans and wants to rely on the aircraft family in the future. The A220s help Delta to modernise their fleet and also to take advantages of serving new markets with the aircraft. Currently, Delta is phasing out aging regional aircraft like the Boeing 717 and has already bid farewell to the old McDonnell Douglas MD-80 and MD-90 aircraft.
Kristen Bojko, Vice President of Fleet at Delta explained this latest order: “The A220-300 offers efficient performance and flexibility […] The continuing expansion of Delta’s A220 family is an integral investment in the future of sustainable aviation.”
Christian Scherer, Airbus Chief Commercial Officer and Head of International, added: “This additional order from the largest A220 customer and operator is yet another strong endorsement for the value and opportunities offered by this latest generation aircraft family. The A220 provides Delta the flexibility to right-size its operations, gaining in efficiency and offering superior single-aisle comfort. In service with Delta, the A220 has proven to be a game changer in its size category in highly competitive North America markets."
Delta took delivery of its first A220 back in October 2018. Since then, more than 60 A220s have joined, making Delta Air Lines the largest operator of that aircraft family. The A220 is the only aircraft purpose-built for the 100-150 seat market and has been a success for Delta in the North American market.
After being a mostly-Boeing carrier for a long time, Delta decided to welcome more and more Airbus aircraft. The airline is using A321 NEO aircraft, A330 NEOs and A350-900s to replace aging Boeing aircraft.
More about
Source © airbus.com