Delta Air Lines entered 2020 with the expectation that it would be a unique year. However, these plans were quickly scrapped after the pandemic spread across the globe. Going into emergency mode, the airline moved swiftly to cut costs and tidy up its fleet. Delta released 227 jets in 2020.
Delta Fleet enters 2020
Delta started in 2020 with a fleet of 898 mainline jets:
- 91 Boeing 717s
- 10 Boeing 737-700s
- 77 Boeing 737-800s
- 130 Boeing 737-900ERs
- 100 Boeing 757-200s
- 16 Boeing 757-300s
- 56 Boeing 767-300ERs
- 21 Boeing 767-400ERs
- Eight Boeing 777-200ERs
- 10 Boeing 777-200LRs
- 28 Airbus A220-100s
- 57 Airbus A319s
- 62 Airbus A320s
- 96 Airbus A321s
- 11 Airbus A330-200s
- 31 Airbus A330-300s
- Four Airbus A330-900neos
- 13 Airbus A350-900
- 47 McDonnell Douglas MD-88s
- 30 McDonnell Douglas MD-90s
This large and mixed fleet was something Delta had been operating for years. The airline desperately wanted to streamline its fleet and move towards a slimmer and more efficient man.
Delta had previously scrapped all of its MD-90s by the end of 2022. The MD-80s were expected to drop in 2020 as the airline planned to deliver 72 new jets in 2020.
The retirement
Towards the end of 2020, the company operated 750 mainline jets:
- 50 Boeing 717s
- 77 Boeing 737-800s
- 130 Boeing 737-900ERs
- 100 Boeing 757-200s
- 16 Boeing 757-300s
- 34 Boeing 767-300ERs
- 21 Boeing 767-400ERs
- 38 Airbus A220-100s
- Five Airbus A220-300s
- 57 Airbus A319s
- 52 Airbus A320s
- 105 Airbus A321s
- 11 Airbus A330-200s
- 31 Airbus A330-300s
- Eight Airbus A330-900neos
- 15 Airbus A350-900s
Of these, 90 jets were parked for a period of time. As is very obvious, Delta made important goals towards tidying up its fleet.
In total, the following aircraft departed the Delta fleet:
- 41 Boeing 717s
- 10 Boeing 737-700s
- 22 Boeing 767-300ERs
- 18 Boeing 777-200s
- 10 Airbus A320s
- 47 MD-88s
- 30 MD-90s
Not all of these retirements were a big surprise, though. Delta was the last major airline to fly the MD-88s and MD-90s in the U.S., and some of these jets were getting up to 30 years old.
The Airbus A320s had an average age of 24.4 years in 2019. The ten older jets of older jets maintained the average Delta age of the A320 at 24.7 years old. A similar story was played out with the Boeing 767-300ERs, with a rough average age of 23.4-years.
The Boeing 777s, for their part, were largely inefficient in the Delta fleet. The carrier only had 18 of the jets in its fleet, and the carrier already had a staggering number of Airbus A350s. Moving forward, Delta thought the A350 would be a better bet, and before these jets entered the airline’s fleet, the carrier would be in a period of sustained recovery. where he needed the A350s to operate their long flights.
The 10 Boeing 737-700s were also strange members of the Delta fleet. Only 10 of these were in service, and Delta used them mainly on lower-demand routes and routes to airports where it needed a flight that could serve airports with runways. short.
Delta has set a course to release the remaining 34 Boeing 767-300ERs by the end of 2025. The same story is playing out for the Boeing 717s. It is common for airlines to phase out some fleets as they move towards complete elimination.
The regional navy
At the end of 2019, Delta Regional Partners operated the following 442 regional jets:
- 117 CRJ200s
- 34 CRJ700s
- 161 CRJ900s
- 22 Embraer E170s
- 108 Embraer E175s
At the end of 2020, Delta’s regional partners flew the following jets:
- 54 CRJ200s
- 24 CRJ700s
- 150 CRJ900s
- 18 Embraer E170s
- 94 Embraer E175s
This brought the Delta regional fleet down to 340 aircraft. The majority of aircraft losses came from the CRJ200 accelerated retirement. Delta expects to complete CRJ200 flights by the end of 2023.
In addition, Delta terminated its relationships with Compass Airlines and GoJet Airlines. Compass previously flew 24 E175s for Delta, while GoJet flew 12 CRJ700s and seven CRJ900s for Delta. The flight contract with the Republic went down slightly when two Embraer E170s were taken out of work.
Endeavor Air, a wholly-owned regional subsidiary of Delta, continues to operate the largest number of regional jets, 171 in total, on behalf of Delta.
Delivery of new aircraft
Some fleets increased as Delta delivered new items. The first A220-300s finally reached the airline and entered commercial service. Delta also seized 10 A220-100s in 2020.
Nine more Airbus A321ceos were delivered new to Delta. The last 22 of these planes will arrive in 2021, before the A321neos begin arriving in 2022 and beyond. On the broad face, Delta delivered four Airbus A330-900neos. The airline also seized two Airbus A350-900s.
On order, Delta has a reserve of over 200 jets. 223 purchase commitments include:
- Seven Airbus A220-100s
- 45 Airbus A220-300s
- 22 Airbus A321ceos
- 100 Airbus A321neos
- 29 Airbus A330-900neos
- 20 Airbus A350-900s
This year, Delta will deliver the following jets:
- Three Airbus A220-100s
- Five Airbus A220-300s
- 22 Airbus A321ceos
- Three Airbus A330-900neos
- One CRJ-900 (for departmental work)
Which of these Delta planes will you miss the most? What latest Delta jets are you excited to fly on? Let us know in the comments!