As of November 2011[update], the Delta fleet consists of 713 mainline aircraft and 74 regional aircraft operated by wholly owned Delta Connection carrier Comair.[1]
Prior to Delta's 2009 merger with Northwest Airlines, Delta operated an all-Boeing & McDonnell Douglas fleet, but incorporated Northwest's Airbus aircraft into the Delta fleet after the merger. Although, Northwest did operate some Boeing aircraft such as the 747 and 757.
The Boeing Customer Code for Delta Air Lines is 32, yielding model numbers such as 777-232LR, representing in this example a Boeing 777-200LR aircraft manufactured for Delta.[2]
Contents |
As of September 30, 2011[update], the average age of the Delta fleet was 15.5 years excluding grounded aircraft and those operated by contract carriers. The oldest aircraft in the fleet are the McDonnell Douglas DC-9s with an average age of 33.3 years and the McDonnell Douglas MD-88s with an average age of 21.2 years.[3]
Delta operates the largest fleets of the Boeing 757, the Boeing 767, and the McDonnell Douglas MD-90 of any operators worldwide. Delta is the second largest operator of the Airbus A330, behind Cathay Pacific, and the McDonnell Douglas MD-80, behind American Airlines. It was one of the last major airlines to operate the original Boeing 737-200 models, retiring the last of these aircraft in 2006.
In early 2011, Delta began to discuss narrowbody replacement plans for the DC-9's, MD-88's, older A320 and 757-200 aircraft with manufacturers Airbus, Boeing and Bombardier .[4]
On August 25, 2011, Delta announced orders for 100 Boeing 737-900ER aircraft for delivery between 2013 and 2018 as it retires older mainline jets and upgrades its fleet. The new aircraft are intended to improve the company's profitability.[5]
On October 20, 2011, Delta announced that all domestic and two class regional jets will receive Economy Comfort seats. All international aircraft already received Economy Comfort in 2010. The refurbishments will start in 2012. [5]
As of April 14, 2011, all of Delta's mainline aircraft have been painted in the new livery.
The following table represents Delta Air Lines mainline fleet in service as of November 26, 2011.
Aircraft | In Service | Orders | Passengers | Notes | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
F | J | Y+ | Y | Total | ||||
Airbus A319-100 | 8 | — | 26 | 28 | 0 | 0 | 54 | Older A320 aircraft to be replaced by Boeing 737-900ER. |
49 | 12 | 0 | 114 | 126 | ||||
Airbus A320-200 | 69 | 16 | 132 | 148 | ||||
Airbus A330-200 | 11 | — | 0 | 32 | 30 | 177 | 239 | All aircraft feature angled Lie-Flat BusinessElite seats with power ports. All aircraft to receive Flat-Bed BusinessElite seats with power ports and slimline seats in Economy and Economy Comfort. |
Airbus A330-300 | 21 | 34 | 32 | 232 | 298 | |||
Boeing 737-700 | 10 | — | 12 | 0 | 0 | 112 | 124 | |
Boeing 737-800 | 71 | 16 | 144 | 160 | 2 aircraft stored | |||
Boeing 737-900ER | — | 100 | TBA | Deliveries 2013 - 2018. Replacing older Boeing 757-200 and Airbus A320 aircraft. [5] |
||||
Boeing 747-400 | 15 | — | 0 | 65 | 42 | 286 | 393 | All aircraft to receive Flat-Bed BusinessElite seats with power ports and slimline seats in Economy and Economy Comfort. 1 aircraft stored. |
Boeing 757-200 | 53 | — | 24 | 0 | 0 | 159 | 183 | Largest operator of the Boeing 757. Selected B757-200 aircraft (currently 55) to get winglets. Older B757-200 aircraft to be replaced by Boeing 737-900ER. 18 B757-200 aircraft stored. |
47 | 26 | 158 | 184 | |||||
4 | 22 | 156 | 175 | |||||
13 | 160 | 182 | ||||||
7 | 162 | 184 | ||||||
8 | 20 | 162 | 182 | |||||
17 | 0 | 16 | 12 | 146 | 174 | |||
8 | 18 | 132 | 166 | |||||
Boeing 757-300 | 16 | 24 | 0 | 0 | 200 | 224 | ||
Boeing 767-300 | 16 | 2 | 30 | 0 | 0 | 231 | 261 | Largest operator of the Boeing 767-300ER and 767-400ER. All B767-300ER aircraft (currently 7) to get new interiors, galleys and Flat-Bed BusinessElite seats with power ports. All B767-300ER aircraft (currently 31) to get winglets. 2 used 767-300ER aircraft transferred to Delta from Gol Transportes Aéreos[6] 1 B767-300ER aircraft stored. All B767-400ER aircraft feature Flat-Bed BusinessElite seats with power ports. |
Boeing 767-300ER | 44 | 0 | 36 | 31 | 143 | 210 | ||
7 | 29 | 208 | ||||||
7 | 30 | 38 | 142 | 210 | ||||
Boeing 767-400ER | 21 | 40 | 28 | 178 | 246 | |||
Boeing 777-200ER | 8 | — | 0 | 45 | 36 | 188 | 269 | All aircraft feature Flat-Bed BusinessElite seats with power ports. |
Boeing 777-200LR | 10 | |||||||
Boeing 787-8 | — | 18 | TBA | Entry into service: 2020[7] | ||||
McDonnell Douglas DC-9-50 | 23 | — | 16 | 0 | 0 | 109 | 125 | Exit from service by late 2012, to be replaced by (used) MD-90s. |
McDonnell Douglas MD-88 | 50 | — | 16 | 0 | 0 | 133 | 149 | All aircraft (currently 50) to receive new First class seats and forward galleys, remove aft galleys. |
67 | 14 | 128 | 142 | |||||
McDonnell Douglas MD-90 | 29 | 9 | 16 | 0 | 0 | 144 | 160 | Launch customer and largest operator of the McDonnell Douglas MD-90 in the world. 9 used aircraft ordered from Japan Airlines. 20 aircraft stored. |
Total | 709 | 127 |
Registration | Livery | Aircraft | Full/Decal |
---|---|---|---|
N3765 | SkyTeam | Boeing 737-800 | Full |
N638DL | Jerry Thank You Note | Boeing 757-200 | Decal |
N659DL | SkyTeam | Boeing 757-200 | Full |
N6716C | Rev. Dr. Joseph E. Lowery | Boeing 757-200 | Decal |
N705TW | SkyTeam | Boeing 757-200 | Full |
N717TW | SkyTeam | Boeing 757-200 | Full |
N722TW | SkyTeam | Boeing 757-200 | Full |
N139DL | United Way | Boeing 767-300 | Decal |
N171DZ | Habitat for Humanity | Boeing 767-300ER | Full |
N175DZ | SkyTeam | Boeing 767-300ER | Full |
N841MH | American Cancer Society | Boeing 767-400ER | Decal |
N844MH | SkyTeam | Boeing 767-400ER | Full |
N845MH | Breast Cancer Research Foundation | Boeing 767-400ER | Full |
N701DN | "The Delta Spirit" | Boeing 777-200LR | Decal |
N702DN | "The Spirit of Atlanta" | Boeing 777-200LR | Decal |
N708DN | David C. Garrett, Jr. | Boeing 777-200LR | Decal |
Delta Air Lines had an all-Boeing (including McDonnell Douglas aircraft) fleet.
Aircraft | Year Retired | Replacement |
---|---|---|
Convair CV-880 | 1973 | Douglas DC-8-51 |
Douglas DC-8-51 | Boeing 757-200 | |
Boeing 747-100 | 1976 | Lockheed L-1011 |
McDonnell Douglas DC-10-10 | 1977/1989* | Lockheed L-1011 |
Douglas DC-8-71 | 1991 | Boeing 757-200 |
McDonnell Douglas DC-9-30 | 1992/2010*** | Boeing 737-200 (1992) and CRJ-700/CRJ900/Embraer-175/DC-9-50(2010) |
McDonnell Douglas DC-9-40 | 2011 | CRJ-700/CRJ900/Embraer-175/DC-9-50 |
Airbus A310-200/300[8][9] | 1994/1996** | Boeing 767-300ER |
Lockheed L-1011 | 2001 | Boeing 767-400ER |
Boeing 727-200 | 2003 | Boeing 737-800 Boeing 757-200 |
McDonnell Douglas MD-11 | 2004 | Boeing 777-200ER (on Asian routes) Boeing 767-400ER (on European routes) |
Boeing 767-200 | 2006 | Boeing 757-200 Boeing 767-300 |
Boeing 737-200 | 2006 | McDonnell Douglas MD-88 |
Boeing 737-300 | 2006 | Boeing 737-800 |
*Delta operated the DC-10 twice, once on lease from United before the L-1011s could be delivered, and again when Delta acquired Western Airlines in 1987.
**Delta experimented with Airbus A310 aircraft for two to three years after acquiring the planes from Pan Am. Initially Delta was impressed enough with the aircraft to order more of the same model, but these too were eventually withdrawn from service by the mid 1990s.
***Delta originally had DC-9-30s from the 1970s through 1992. Delta sold some of their DC-9-30s back to McDonnell Douglas who sold them to ValuJet, forming ValuJet's initial fleet. ValuJet would eventually become Delta's main Atlanta-based rival, AirTran Airways. However, Delta inherited a fleet of -30s in 2008 when they merged with Northwest Airlines.
Delta Air Lines and Alaska Airlines are the only surviving U.S. airlines that operated the Convair 880, still the fastest family of subsonic passenger aircraft ever, and only behind supersonic carriers such as the Concorde and the Tu-144 in speed.
Up until the late 1960s, Delta Air Lines operated a fleet of propeller operated aircraft, including among others, the Convair 340, Convair 440, Curtiss C-46 Commando, Douglas DC-3, Douglas DC-4, Douglas DC-6, Douglas DC-7, Fairchild Hiller FH-227, Lockheed Constellation, and Lockheed L-100 Hercules. The Curtiss C-46 Commando and Lockheed L-100 Hercules aircraft were operated as cargo aircraft.
Aircraft | Total | Orders | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
Convair 440 | 28 | 0 | |
Convair 880 | 0 | 10 | |
Curtiss-Wright C-46 | 5 | 0 | Freighter |
Douglas DC-3 | 12 | 0 | Includes Two Freighters |
Douglas DC-6 | 12 | 0 | |
Douglas DC-7 | 10 | 0 | |
Douglas DC-7B | 11 | 0 | |
Douglas DC-8 | 6 | 0 | |
Total | 84 | 10 |
Aircraft | Total | Orders | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
Boeing 747-100 | 0 | 5 | |
Douglas DC-8-61 | 13 | 0 | |
Douglas DC-8-50 | 28 | 0 | |
Douglas DC-9-15 | 15 | 0 | |
Douglas DC-9-32 | 53 | 5 | |
Convair CV-880 | 16 | 0 | |
Lockheed L-100 Hercules | 3 | 0 | Freighter |
Lockheed Tristar | 0 | 24 | |
Total | 128 | 34 |
Aircraft | Total | Orders | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
Boeing 727-200 | 120 | 6 | |
Boeing 767-200 | 0 | 20 | |
Douglas DC-8-61 | 13 | 0 | |
Douglas DC-9-32 | 41 | 0 | |
Lockheed L1011-1 | 29 | 6 | |
Lockheed L-1011-500 | 2 | 1 | |
Total | 205 | 33 |
Aircraft | Total | Orders | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
Boeing 727-200 | 130 | 0 | |
Boeing 737-200 | 61 | 0 | |
Boeing 737-300 | 13 | 0 | |
Boeing 757-200 | 41 | 22 | |
Boeing 767-200 | 15 | 0 | |
Boeing 767-300 | 15 | 1 | |
Boeing 767-300ER | 0 | 9 | |
Douglas DC-8-71 | 5 | 0 | |
Douglas DC-9-32 | 36 | 0 | |
Douglas DC-10-10 | 3 | 0 | |
Lockheed L1011-1 | 22 | 0 | |
Lockheed L1011-100 | 1 | 0 | |
Lockheed L1011-250 | 6 | 0 | |
Lockheed L-1011-500 | 10 | 0 | |
McDonnell Douglas MD-11 | 0 | 9 | |
McDonnell Douglas MD-82 | 8 | 0 | |
McDonnell Douglas MD-88 | 23 | 34 | |
Total | 389 | 75 |
Aircraft | Total | Orders | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
Boeing 727-200 Adv | 102 | 0 | |
Boeing 737-200 Adv | 54 | 0 | |
Boeing 737-300 | 26 | 0 | |
Boeing 737-800 | 27 | 105 | |
Boeing 757-200 | 114 | 7 | |
Boeing 767-200 | 15 | 0 | |
Boeing 767-300 | 28 | 0 | |
Boeing 767-300ER | 58 | 1 | |
Boeing 767-400ER | 1 | 20 | |
Lockheed L1011-1 | 25 | 0 | |
Lockheed L1011-200 | 1 | 0 | |
Lockheed L1011-250 | 6 | 0 | |
Lockheed L-1011-500 | 15 | 0 | |
McDonnell Douglas MD-11 | 15 | 0 | |
McDonnell Douglas MD-88 | 120 | 0 | |
McDonnell Douglas MD-90-30 | 16 | 0 | |
Total | 630 | 139 |
Northwest, unlike Delta, operated a mixed fleet of Boeing, McDonnell Douglas, and Airbus aircraft. The Northwest fleet was integrated into Delta's fleet on December 31, 2009.
The Boeing 757 was the only type common to the pre-merger fleets of both Delta and Northwest.
Aircraft | Year Retired | Replacement | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
Boeing 727-100 | 1991 | McDonnell Douglas DC-9 | |
Boeing 727-200 | 2003 | Airbus A320 | |
Boeing 747-100 | 2000 | Boeing 747-400 | |
Boeing 747-200 | 2009 | Airbus A330 Family | Passenger retired 2007, charter retired 2009 |
Boeing 747-200F | 2009 | None | Cargo fleet |
McDonnell Douglas DC-9-10 | 2005 | Airbus A319 | |
McDonnell Douglas MD-80 | 1999 | Airbus A320 | Acquired during merger with Republic Airlines |
McDonnell Douglas DC-10-30 | 2007 | Airbus A330 Family | Sold to ATA Airlines and Omni Air International |
McDonnell Douglas DC-10-40 | 2002 | Boeing 757-300 |
Aircraft | Total | Orders | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
Boeing 377 | 8 | 0 | |
Douglas DC-3 | 4 | 0 | |
Douglas DC-6A | 7 | 0 | |
Douglas DC-6B | 17 | 0 | |
Douglas DC-7C | 17 | 0 | |
Douglas DC-8 | 0 | 5 | |
Lockheed L-188 | 0 | 18 | |
Total | 53 | 23 |
Aircraft | Total | Orders | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
Boeing 707-300B | 10 | 0 | |
Boeing 707-300C | 26 | 0 | |
Boeing 720B | 16 | 0 | |
Boeing 727-100 | 30 | 0 | |
Boeing 727-200 | 34 | 0 | |
Boeing 747-100 | 0 | 15 | |
Boeing 2707 | 0 | 0 | 6 Options |
Douglas DC-10-20 | 0 | 14 | |
Total | 116 | 29 |
Aircraft | Total | Orders | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
Boeing 727-100 | 4 | 0 | |
Boeing 727-100C | 12 | 0 | |
Boeing 727-200 | 46 | 4 | |
Boeing 747-100 | 12 | 0 | |
Boeing 747-200B | 11 | 1 | |
Boeing 747-200F | 4 | 1 | |
McDonnell Douglas DC-10-40 | 22 | 0 | |
Total | 111 | 6 |
Aircraft | Total | Orders | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
Airbus A320-200 | 6 | 19 | |
Airbus A330 | 0 | 16 | |
Airbus A340 | 0 | 20 | |
Boeing 727-100 | 9 | 0 | |
Boeing 727-200 | 62 | 0 | |
Boeing 747-100 | 12 | 0 | |
Boeing 747-200B | 20 | 0 | |
Boeing 747-200F | 8 | 0 | |
Boeing 747-400 | 6 | 10 | |
Boeing 757-200 | 33 | 40 | |
McDonnell Douglas DC-9-10 | 20 | 0 | |
McDonnell Douglas DC-9-30 | 77 | 0 | |
McDonnell Douglas DC-9-50 | 28 | 0 | |
McDonnell Douglas DC-10-40 | 20 | 0 | |
McDonnell Douglas MD-82 | 8 | 0 | |
Total | 323 | 105 |
Aircraft | Total | Orders | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
Airbus A319-100 | 12 | 56 | 82 Options |
Airbus A320-200 | 70 | 12 | |
Airbus A330-300 | 0 | 16 | |
Boeing 727-200 Adv | 31 | 0 | |
Boeing 747-100 | 1 | 0 | |
Boeing 747-200B | 21 | 0 | |
Boeing 747-200F | 10 | 0 | |
Boeing 747-400 | 14 | 0 | |
Boeing 757-200 | 48 | 25 | |
McDonnell Douglas DC-9-10 | 10 | 0 | |
McDonnell Douglas DC-9-30 | 115 | 0 | |
McDonnell Douglas DC-9-40 | 12 | 0 | |
McDonnell Douglas DC-9-50 | 35 | 0 | |
McDonnell Douglas DC-10-30 | 22 | 0 | |
McDonnell Douglas DC-10-40 | 21 | 0 | |
McDonnell Douglas MD-82 | 8 | 0 | |
Total | 430 | 109 |
As of 2006, NWA Cargo was the largest cargo carrier among U.S. combination passenger and cargo airlines. NWA Cargo’s fleet of 15 dedicated Boeing 747 freighter aircraft flew from key cities throughout the United States and Asia and connected the carrier’s cargo hub in Anchorage, Alaska (Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport), facilitating the quick transfer of cargo between large cities on both sides of the Pacific. NWA Cargo also transported freight aboard the passenger fleet of Northwest Airlines to more than 250 cities worldwide.
As of early 2008, NWA's largest cargo client was DHL International. In December 2007, NWA announced that DHL International would terminate its cargo agreement with the airline effective late 2008. According to NWA Chief Financial Officer Dave Davis, the loss of its largest cargo client would bring significant changes to the division.[20]
NWA Cargo served airports and routes not served by the passenger operation — the last U.S. carrier to maintain a separate fleet and route network exclusively for cargo. Such cargo-only cities on NWA's route map included Wilmington, Ohio, and cargo only routes included Chicago, Illinois to Anchorage, Alaska.
On April 21, 2009, Delta announced they were grounding 14 of their Boeing 747-200 freighter aircraft on December 31, 2009. The last flight of a dedicated cargo aircraft was December 26, 2009.
Aircraft | Total | Routes | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
Boeing 747-200F | 15 | Freight | Operating as NWA Cargo |
Book: Delta Air Lines | |
Wikipedia books are collections of articles that can be downloaded or ordered in print. |
|