Delta Air Lines released a fleet update today within the release of its full second-quarter filing. The filing shows that Delta has made progress retiring aircraft. Amid the ongoing retirement of the 777s, all of Delta’s A350-900s are back in the air.
The A350s are flying again
Simple Flying viewed Delta’s second-quarter SEC filing, which included an update to the airline’s fleet. Delta currently owns 13 Airbus A350-900s. At the end of March, eight of these planes were flying while five were parked. By the end of June, all of Delta’s Airbus A350s were back in the air.
The A350s resumed flying as the Boeing 777s continue to be phased out. By the end of June, Delta only had 12 777s in its fleet, split evenly between the -200ER and -200LR variants. In March, the carrier had 18 of these aircraft. By October, Delta will retire the remaining 12 777s.
The A350s are performing long-haul operations flying to Seoul, Amsterdam, Tokyo, Shanghai, and more out of major hubs like Detroit and Seattle. In the future, these jets are expected to fly off to Cape Town, Beijing, Sydney, and more. These planes are fitted out with the airline’s flagship Delta One suites and Premium Select.
How much of Delta’s fleet is flying?
Delta is flying at least one of every aircraft that it has in its fleet– just like it was back in March. However, there are only a few models in the airline’s fleet where none of them are parked. Delta is flying all eight of its 737-700s, all 12 777s, all 31 A220-100s, and now all of its Airbus A350s.
As for the aircraft with the most number parked, Delta is currently only flying eight Airbus A320-200s. A whopping 44 of these are parked. This means that only about 15% of the airline’s A320 fleet is flying. Below is the list of all types in Delta’s fleet with the percentage of the fleet in active service:
- Airbus A220-100 (100%) [all 31]
- Airbus A350-900 (100%) [all 13]
- Boeing 777-200 (100%) [all 12]
- Boeing 737-700 (100%) [all 8]
- Airbus A330-900neo (80%) [4 in service, 1 parked]
- Boeing 757-300 (69%) [11 in service, 5 parked]
- Airbus A319 (68%) [39 in service, 18 parked]
- Airbus A321 (66%) [66 in service, 34 parked]
- Boeing 737-800 (64%) [49 in service, 28 parked]
- Boeing 717 (52%) [47 in service, 44 parked]
- Boeing 737-900ER (52%) [67 in service, 63 parked]
- Boeing 767-400ER (43%) [9 in service, 12 parked]
- Airbus A330-300 (42%) [13 in service, 18 parked]
- Boeing 757-200 (30%) [30 in service, 70 parked]
- Boeing 767-300ER (29%) [14 in service, 35 parked]
- Airbus A330-200 (27%) [3 in service, 8 parked]
- Airbus A320 (15%) [8 in service, 44 parked]
In total, Delta is flying 424 aircraft with 380 jets parked. This is of the mainline fleet. About 53% of the airline’s fleet is in the air. Compared to March, Delta has retired 70 aircraft already. This includes two 737-700s, six 777s, seven Boeing 767-300ERs, ten Airbus A320-200s, 18 MD-88s, and 27 MD-90s. The 737-700, 767-300ER, and A320-200 retirements were announced as the carrier reported a $3.9 billion loss for the second quarter of 2020.
How will these numbers change?
Delta is continuing the process of retiring these aircraft. By the end of September, when the airline releases its next fleet update, the carrier will likely withdraw more 737-700s and Boeing 777s. Additional aircraft could also be slated for retirement, including 767s or maybe some other older A320s and 757s if demand warrants it.
For now, the carrier has pared back its capacity plans for August and is monitoring demand closely. With continued border closures, the airline is having to scale back its international capacity while domestic saw a healthy rebound.
On the other hand, Delta will likely end up reactivating more aircraft as demand rises, and the carrier blocks middle seats through September (and likely beyond). In lieu of opening flights up for booking to full capacity, the airline prefers to increase its schedule. The carrier certainly does have the planes to do so.
Are you glad to see all of Delta’s A350s back in the air? Which of Delta’s planes are you delighted to see flying? Let us know in the comments!
