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DALLAS — Delta Air Lines (DL) has firmed up an order for a dozen more A220-300 planes, bringing the airline's total firm order for A220 planes to 119: 45 A220-100 planes and 74 A220-300 planes.
The Atlanta, Georgia-based carrier has reordered the A220 four times over the years and is now the largest A220 customer and operator.
Delta became the first US carrier to operate the Airbus A220 when it received its first aircraft in October 2018. DL operates 415 Airbus aircraft, including 59 A220s, 266 A320 Family aircraft, 62 A330s, and 28 A350-900s. At the time, DL’s CEO, Ed Bastian told Airways that when looking for an alternative to the Boeing 717, the Airbus A220 was the right choice.
“We need to find something that’s going to be more fuel efficient, something that’s going to create a greater range, and a greater bandwidth of options and the CSeries (A220) fit the bill,” he said.
While the Boeing 717 is a quality aircraft and Delta paid pennies on the dollar for them (most Delta 717s are former AirTran aircraft on lease from Southwest Airlines), it does lack the range for many domestic missions.
The A220-100, on the other hand, offers over double the range of the Boeing 717 (1,415 miles vs. 3,100 miles) at highly efficient numbers. For the airline, this means the A220-100 can easily operate many missions the Boeing 717 cannot. The A220-100 allows DL to operate smaller narrow-body aircraft on “short and thin” routes (longer distance routes with fewer passengers).
Comments from Delta Air Lines, Airbus Officials
"These 12 additional A220 aircraft will help power our increasingly lean fleet while also providing our customers with the elevated in-flight experience they've come to expect from Delta," said Kristen Bojko, Delta Air Lines' Vice President of Fleet.
“Delta Air Lines was the U.S. launch customer for the A220 and this fourth reorder in just four years by a leading carrier as Delta is a most gratifying endorsement,” said Christian Scherer, Airbus Chief Commercial Officer and Head of International.
https://airwaysmag.com/delta-increases-a220-firm-order/
Mr. Scherer added, “The aircraft is currently connecting Delta passengers on more than 100 routes at 25 percent* less fuel and CO2 emissions. If you want to connect today and tomorrow, you can’t do any better!”
Arbus states that the A220 is the only aircraft designed specifically for the 100-150 seat market. The type combines cutting-edge aerodynamics, advanced materials, and Pratt & Whitney's latest-generation GTFTM engines.
This means A220 passengers benefit from a 50% reduction in noise footprint and a 50% reduction in NOx emissions compared to industry standards. To know more about the history of the A220, check out the February 202 issue of Airways Magazine.
https://airwaysmag.com/product/february-2020/
Featured image: Delta Air Lines N306DU Airbus A220-300. Photo: Michael Rodeback/Airways
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