What Has Delta Used To Replace Its Boeing 777s?

Delta Air Lines flew a fleet of 18 Boeing 777s two years ago. However, with the onset of the global health crisis, the shutdown of international travel, and a desire to accelerate fleet transformation, Delta Air Lines decided to send those birds into the sunset. As international travel has come back, Delta has been busy bringing back routes and replacing those aircraft using a mix of widebodies. Here is what the airline is using.

Delta’s Boeing 777 network

Using data from Cirium for Delta’s January 2020 network, the following routes all saw service with a Boeing 777:

• Atlanta (ATL) to Johannesburg (JNB) [Boeing 777-200LR]
• Atlanta (ATL) to Los Angeles (LAX) [Boeing 777-200LR]
• Atlanta (ATL) to New York (JFK) [Boeing 777-200LR]
• Atlanta (ATL) to Shanghai (PVG) [Boeing 777-200LR]
• Los Angeles (LAX) to Paris (CDG) [Boeing 777-200ER]
• Los Angeles (LAX) to Shanghai (PVG) [Boeing 777-200ER]
• Los Angeles (LAX) to Sydney (SYD) [Boeing 777-200LR]
• Los Angeles (LAX) to Tokyo (HND) [Boeing 777-200ER]
• Minneapolis (MSP) to Tokyo (HND) [Boeing 777-200ER]
• New York (JFK) to Mumbai (BOM) [Boeing 777-200LR]

Note that Delta also had some flights out of Las Vegas (LAS) using a Boeing 777. Those additions were designed to accommodate travelers for CES 2020 and are not regularly-served routes.

It may seem interesting that Delta has used the aircraft to run flights from Atlanta to New York and Los Angeles. Those flights were more about positioning since it allowed Delta to efficiently utilize its Boeing 777 fleet while also adding capacity on major traffic flows and building a feed network for some of these international routes.

The routes replaced

Notably, only a few of the long-haul routes on this list are in operation today. Delta Air Lines is only flying Atlanta to Johannesburg and Los Angeles to Sydney this month. That is not to say that all of these routes are gone for good. Some of them have been delayed as a result of travel restrictions. Minneapolis and Los Angeles to Tokyo and Los Angeles to Shanghai have been delayed until October.

The primary replacement for the Boeing 777s were the Airbus A350-900s. Delta has scheduled this type to fly from Atlanta to Johannesburg and Los Angeles to Sydney and Shanghai. The A350-900 seats 306 passengers in a three-class configuration, and Delta dubs this as their “Flagship Aircraft.” The plane has 32 Delta One Suites at the front, which are a lie-flat, fully-enclosed business class product. This is followed up by 48 premium economy seats, called Premium Select, and are similar to a recliner-style first class product. Finally, there are 226 economy class seats, split between 36 extra-legroom economy seats and 190 standard economy seats.

This leaves just Los Angeles and Minneapolis to Tokyo-Haneda. When these routes resume in October, Delta Air Lines has actually scheduled the flights to run onboard Airbus A330-900neo aircraft. These planes seat 281 passengers across 29 Delta One Suites, 28 Premium Select recliners, 56 extra-legroom economy seats, and 168 standard economy seats. Both of these routes do not need the range of the A350-900, and the capacity on the A330neos is marginally lower than the Boeing 777s.

Airlines rarely do a one-to-one replacement of aircraft. Seeing both the A350 and A330neo take over Boeing 777 routes is not terribly surprising, especially since the 777-200ERs were operating long-haul routes that are within the range of the A330-900neo, and Delta does not need all that capacity the A350 offers over the A330neo.

Will the final two return?

Delta’s longest route of all of these is its Atlanta to Johannesburg flight. Following this came New York to Mumbai and then Atlanta to Shanghai. Neither of these routes are back on the schedule, and there are some valid questions surrounding the return of these routes. It is unlikely that Delta will bring them back before 2023 if they do return. Airlines are thinking about their networks in a different way, and some routes that flew previously are ones that carriers do not see a need or have an interest in flying.

Almost certainly, Delta would need to have Airbus A350-900s fly both routes, as they would be the only aircraft in the fleet capable of making the hop. That is not a problem. Delta has a backlog of 20 A350-900s, four of which are set to arrive in 2022. The bigger question is demand and the market.

Shanghai to Atlanta is the more likely route to return. As a hub for Delta’s partner, China Eastern, the connecting opportunities on both ends supported the flight pre-crisis and will be a tailwind coming out of it. However, China remains glued to its strict approach that has barred nearly all foreigners and left the question of the return of business travel up in the air.

Mumbai is certainly a very interesting market and one to keep an eye on. India has been an interesting market, and when Delta launched its Mumbai flight in 2019, it was only the second US airline flying to India. United dominated the market, and American was not in the market. Now, however, American is flying to India, and Mumbai could be on the horizon, while United has expanded and Vistara is preparing to enter the market. This competition could push Delta to keep it off its route map, but it could also spur the airline to find a way to come back in the market, especially if it wants to keep its network in New York shored up against competitors. Certainly, time will tell whether Mumbai comes back or not.

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