Delta Air Lines (DL, Atlanta Hartsfield Jackson) is in advanced talks about a firm order for 100 B737-10s with a further 30 options, The Air Current has reported citing multiple sources, with deliveries to begin in 2025. The breakthrough contract is expected to be announced during next week's Farnborough Air Show.
The order would not only be Delta's first B737 MAX order, but also the first Boeing order placed in more than five years. The ch-aviation fleets module shows that Delta's last direct purchase from Boeing was for ten B737-900ERs in March 2017. The aircraft were delivered by June 1, 2019. Since then, the airline has not added any new Boeing jets.
The carrier's large narrowbody fleet currently comprises fifty-seven A319-100s (20.5 years old on average), sixty-one A320-200s (26.9 years), 127 A321-200s (3.6 years), three A321-200NX (0.2 years), seventy-seven B737-800s (20.9 years), and 159 B737-900(ER)s (6.5 years). It has a further 152 A321-200NX on order from Airbus.
Delta is the only one of the big four US carriers (American Airlines, Southwest Airlines, and United Airlines) with no B737 MAX in its fleet or on order. However, speculation about an imminent MAX 10 commitment has been rife for months.
The news comes amidst a tense stand-off over the MAX 10's certification. As of 2023, all new types will need to be equipped with updated crew alerting systems, which the -10 does not have. As its certification drags on, Boeing Chief Executive David Calhoun told Aviation Week that if the manufacturer does not complete the current process by the end of 2022, it would just shelve the variant.
Boeing has 616 firm MAX 10 orders of which United Airlines is the largest customer with 251, followed by VietJetAir with 106. The only other Northern American carriers with MAX 10 plans are Alaska Airlines (six) and Air Labrador (four).
Meanwhile, Reuters has reported that Delta is also in talks with Airbus about adding more A220s to its existing backlog. The Atlanta-based carrier ordered forty-five A220-100s (all of which have already been delivered) and fifty A220-300s (of which eleven have been delivered so far). It is by far the world's largest customer for the smaller variant. Deliveries of the remaining -300s are expected to continue beyond 2024.
