Delta Air Lines (DL, Atlanta Hartsfield Jackson) has placed a firm order for 100 B737-10 MAX during the ongoing 2022 Farnborough Air Show, with options for a further 30 of the type.
"The B737-10 will be an important addition to Delta's fleet as we shape a more sustainable future for air travel, with an elevated customer experience, improved fuel efficiency, and best-in-class performance. These new aircraft provide superior operating economics and network flexibility, and the agreement reflects our prudent approach to deploying our capital," Chief Executive Ed Bastian said.
The carrier said that deliveries of the aircraft would begin in 2025. The order is the first commitment by Delta for any B737 MAX Family aircraft. The airline had been the last of the four biggest US carriers with no B737 MAX in its fleet or on order.
The order for the aircraft is within Delta’s previously announced 2024 capital expenditure and capacity targets. The airline has also obtained long-term financing for a substantial portion of the purchase price of each aircraft, it said.
The certification of the B737-10 is expected in 2023, Delta revealed, even though Boeing remains focused on getting FAA approval by the end of 2022. Starting in 2023, the US regulator will require more stringent crew alerting systems that the -10 does not have, which could potentially delay the certification even further. Delta's order includes an option to change the variant should the -10 not be certified in time.
While the airline did not specify which aircraft the B737-10s would replace, it did say that they would allow it to renew the narrowbody fleet. The ch-aviation fleets module shows Delta Air Lines' previous-generation narrowbody fleet comprises fifty-seven A319-100s, sixty-one A320-200s, 127 A321-200s, seventy-seven B737-800s, and 159 B737-900ERs. The carrier said that following the deliveries of the B737-10s, its B737 fleet would grow to over 300 aircraft by the end of the 2020s. This indicates that Delta plans to retain both the -800s and the -900(ER)s alongside the -10s.
Delta Air Lines has also contracted with Boeing Global Services for a full interior reconfiguration of twenty-nine B737-900(ER)s by the summer 2025 season, it elaborated.
The carrier already has an order for 155 A321-200NX, of which three have been delivered so far.
Delta's B737-10s will be configured for up to 182 passengers, including 20 in business class, 33 in economy premium, and 129 in economy. The airline said it would deploy the -10s out of its key hubs at New York JFK, Boston, Atlanta Hartsfield Jackson, Detroit Metropolitan, Minneapolis St. Paul International, Seattle Tacoma International, and Los Angeles International.
