Delta Air Lines (DL, Atlanta Hartsfield Jackson) has warmed up to both the B787-9 and the A350-900 ahead of a planned order for up to 50 widebody aircraft. Speaking to Flight Global during a press event in Washington recently, Delta's CEO, Richard Anderson, said: “We’re hopeful that the 787-9, with all the lessons learned on the -8, is going to be a really viable airplane.”
One of the US market's more conservative aircraft buyers, Delta is currently studying the A330-200 and A330-300, A350-900 and A350-1000 on offer from Airbus (AIB, Toulouse Blagnac) while a pitch from Boeing (BOE, Washington National) includes the B777-300(ER) as well as B787-8, B787-9 and B787-10 jets.
Senior vice president for flight operations, Steve Dickson, last week dismissed comments by Mark Lapidus, the CEO of aircraft leasing company Amedeo, concerning Delta's purported "hidden" interest in the A380-800, on the grounds that double-decker aircraft did not fit into his airline's business strategy.
"We don't see an application for the A380 in our network," he said. "The reliability of the two-engine airplanes and the efficiency of them is just too compelling," he added.
Delta's ageing longhaul fleet consists of 32 A330s, 95 B767s, and 18 B777-200s with 18 B787-8s on order.
