Delta Air Lines Places Order For 30 Boeing 787-10s, With Options For 30 More

As of late, Delta Air Lines has mostly favored Airbus aircraft as part of its widebody re-fleeting strategy. They have 39 Airbus A330-900s, 40 A350-900s with four more pending delivery, and 20 A350-1000s expected to start delivery some time this year.

They’re also taking on over 150 Airbus A321neos as part of its strategy to replace older A321s and some shorter operations Boeing 757s. However, they also have a number of dinosaurs in the fleet that are due to be replaced including their Boeing 767-300ERs and Airbus A330 (-200s and -300s).

Delta Air Lines announced on Tuesday that it has placed a direct order for 30 Boeing 787-10 Dreamliners, with options for 30 more, with plans to use these on transatlantic and South American routes. As a widebody fan, it’s good to see them living up to their promises of keeping twin-aisle aircraft for longer haul operations.

Delta’s CEO Ed Bastien said:

“Delta is building the fleet for the future, enhancing the customer experience, driving operational improvements and providing steady replacements for less efficient, older aircraft in the decade to come.

“Most importantly, these aircraft will be operated by the best aviation professionals in the industry, providing Delta’s welcoming, elevated and caring service to travelers worldwide.”

These 787s will be spec’d with General Electric GEnx engines, which have been the engine type of choice for at least two-thirds of the 787s that are currently in service. Bastien also added:

“GE Aerospace’s GEnx engines will enable us to connect our passengers to international destinations across the globe with greater efficiency and improved reliability and are foundational to our growth vision”

The 787s are still a while away though as first deliveries are expected in in 2031. I guess they’ll have to sub in their Airbus aircraft on some of these flights as they plan to retire their 767-300ERs by the end of 2030.

This isn’t Delta’s only Boeing order as of late. They also have 100 737 MAX 10s pending, which are due for delivery starting 2027. I suspect that timeline may be pushed back just a bit, but at least the order actually will see the light of day now that Boeing is making some real progress regarding getting certification for the MAX 10.

The MAXs will be used to replace their older Boeing 737NG and smaller Airbus A319/320ceo families.

Is Delta banking on growth?

The 787 is definitely an interesting choice. On one hand, the aircraft has excellent economics when loaded up, but offers a lot more capacity than a 767-300ER. The 767s hold a unique position, mostly for transatlantic operations as they seem to be a ‘just right’ fit, not having too much capacity like the A330s but not stooping to the level of using narrowbodies to cross the pond.

While they might work well during peak travel periods, I suspect they may be a bit of an overkill during slower times of the year. As much as people frown flying A321XLRs across the pond, it seems like a good gamble to deal with the transatlantic ebbs and flows.

Lemme know what you think in the comments below.

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