official delta announcement
The Delta livery will soon appear on two new aircraft types as the airline
announced Thursday an order for 25 fuel-efficient Airbus A350-900 and 25 Airbus A330-900neo jets to replace some transoceanic Boeing 767-300ERs and the Boeing 747-400s fleet, which are reaching the end of their life cycle.
Delta will take delivery of the A350-900 starting in the second quarter of 2017 through 2020. The A330-900neo is slated to begin operation in 2019 with deliveries continuing through 2022.
?For Delta?s near-and long-term transoceanic fleet needs, the Airbus A330-900neo and A350-900 give us the right balance of capacity and operating performance with a competitive delivery schedule and capital expense that fits within our current plan,? Ed said. ?This order keeps us on track with our strategy of making prudent investments in our fleet with a mix that allows us to put the right sized planes in the right markets.?
The decision to purchase 50 Airbus widebody jets came after a several month long, fact-based review of proposals from Boeing and Airbus by a cross-divisional Delta team, and follows a careful consideration of the airline?s overall fleet needs. Delta fleet acquisition strategy is built on evaluating an airplane?s total cost of ownership ?the sum total of long-term operating and maintenance costs, purchase price and other factors?and is key to Delta?s continued financial success.
?We always approach fleet decisions with a balance of economic efficiency, customer experience enhancements, network integration and total cost of ownership,? said Nat Pieper V.P.?Fleet Strategy and Transactions. ?The A350 and A330neo support our long-haul, transoceanic strategy and join a mix of Boeing and Airbus aircraft that provide exceptional flexibility for Delta?s global network as well as strong cash-on-cash returns for our shareholders.?
The fuel-efficient, Airbus A350-900 will operate primarily on long-range trans-Pacific routes and are an important component of Delta?s restructuring to optimize its Asia-Pacific network. Airbus? A330neo, which puts an updated, more fuel efficient engine and new aerodynamic wing on the original airframe, will complement Delta?s existing fleet of Airbus A330s and will be deployed on trans-Atlantic markets as well as select U.S. West Coast to Asia routes.
The new aircraft are expected to deliver 20 percent operating cost savings per seat over the Boeing aircraft they will replace.
The airline will in the next several months evaluate cabin furnishing and layout options in all classes of service with the goal of optimizing revenue generation, customer amenities, on-board services and employee considerations, among a host of other operational aspects.
As part of its continued fleet modernization, Delta continues to take delivery of 100 new Boeing 737-900ER aircraft, 88 Boeing 717-200s and 40 two class CRJ-900s. Next year, the first of 10 new Airbus A330-300 jets will begin operation in the summer with the first of 45 narrowbody Airbus A321s arriving in 2016
