Delta Air Lines is in talks with Airbus for the acquisition of at least a dozen new wide-body aircraft, Reuters reported. The deal could make Delta the launch customer for the A350-1000 in the Americas.
The U.S. airline had not placed a significant order for widebody aircraft since 2021, when it agreed to purchase the Airbus A350-900s previously operated by LATAM Brazil. In addition, it has not placed significant orders since 2022, when it ordered a hundred Boeing 737 MAX 10s.
Delta Air Lines has been one of Airbus’ most loyal customers in the U.S., with the first A350 in the Americas taking delivery in 2017 and the first A330neo in the U.S. in 2019. It currently has a fleet of 27 aircraft of each type and has 16 A350s and 12 A330neo aircraft pending delivery.
Airbus and Delta Air Lines negotiation for more A350s
The negotiation between Airbus and Delta seeks to boost the intercontinental market, which is steadily growing after the COVID-19 crisis. Delta’s A350-900s are mainly used on routes to cities such as Amsterdam, Auckland, Cape Town, Johannesburg, Rome, Seoul, Shanghai, Sydney and Tokyo. In 2023, destinations such as Lima and Santiago were added thanks to the Joint Venture agreement with LATAM. For the northern summer, the airline is scheduled to operate the A350 to Madrid, Athens, Dublin and Barcelona.
Rumors about the possibility of a widebody order have circulated since May last year, when Delta was looking to replace its eleven Airbus A330-200s, 31 A330-300s, 44 Boeing 767-300s (ER) and 21 Boeing 767-400s (ER). However, as reported by Reuters, the order is far from a complete replacement of these models. Speculation is that official confirmation of the order will be made next Friday, when Delta Air Lines reports its fourth quarter results.
The possible order would increase the number of Airbus A350s to 55, making it the main customer for the European model.
