Airlines Delta Air Lines orders 30 additional Airbus A321neo

Delta Air Lines and Airbus have announced, to have signed a purchase agreement for 30 additional state-of-the-art Airbus A321neo aircraft, underlining the airline´s ambition to catalyse its fleet modernization programme.

With this latest order, Delta Air Lines now has a backlog of 155 Airbus A321neo aircraft, which all will be delivered to the carrier in the upcoming years, starting next year. The A321s are expected to replace aging Boeing aircraft in the airline´s fleet.

Mahendra Nair, Delta’s Senior Vice President – Fleet and TechOps Supply Chain, said: “Adding these aircraft strengthens Delta’s commitment to replacing older fleets with more sustainable, efficient jets, and offering the best customer experience in the industry [...] Delta appreciates the extensive partnership with the Airbus team in support of our strategic growth plans, and we look forward to continuing to work together throughout the recovery and beyond.”

Christian Scherer, Chief Commercial Officer and Head of Airbus International, added: “As the industry looks to emerge from the pandemic, Delta is showing responsible leadership and casting a strong vote of confidence now in the A321neo [...] With orders for 30 more of an aircraft that is in very high demand around the globe, our partners at Delta are underscoring the strategic role they see for the A321neo with its outstanding environmental performance for the airline’s renowned customer service and reliability for years into the future.”

The majority of the aircraft are expected to be delivered from Airbus´ US facility in Mobile, Alabama. Since the opening of the Final Assembly Line in 2016, the carrier has taken delivery of 87 A320 Family aircraft, with plenty more to come.

Delta´s A321neos will be powered by high bypass-ratio Pratt & Whitney PW1100G turbofan engines that allow more efficient and quieter operations. Together, with aerodynamical advantages like the Sharklets, a better operational efficiency can be reached.

As the A321neo can be used in various markets, Delta has equipped the aircraft in a three-class configuration. 194 passengers can be welcomed in total: 20 in First Class, 42 in Delta Comfort+ and the remaining 132 in Economy Class.

According to Airbus, Delta will deploy the A321s primarily across the extensive domestic network, complementing the airline´s current A321 fleet of more than 120 aircraft.