Delta Orders Up To 60 Boeing 787-10s, As Key Part Of Long Haul Fleet Renewal

Several months back, there were rumors that Delta Air Lines would place a Boeing 787 order, a major departure from the carrier’s current all-Airbus wide body fleet renewal plan. There’s now a major update, as the order is official…

Delta places a big Boeing wide body aircraft order

Delta has placed an order for up to 60 Boeing 787 Dreamliners. This includes a firm order for 30 787-10s, plus options for an additional 30 of these planes. The major catch here is that these planes will only be delivered as of 2031, so it’ll be at least five years until the first of these aircraft joins the fleet.

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For context, the 787-10 is the largest variant of the Dreamliner. While it has the least range of any Dreamliner variant, the per-seat economics are great, given how it’s “stretched.” Delta claims that it will use these planes to operate flights across the Atlantic, as well as to South America.

Here’s how Delta CEO Ed Bastian describes this order:

“Delta is building the fleet for the future, enhancing the customer experience, driving operational improvements and providing steady replacements for less efficient, older aircraft in the decade to come. Most importantly, these aircraft will be operated by the best aviation professionals in the industry, providing Delta’s welcoming, elevated and caring service to travelers worldwide.”

Up until this point, Delta’s wide body fleet renewal has just been focused on two aircraft types:

• Delta’s flagship aircraft is the Airbus A350, with 40 A350-900s currently in the fleet (and four more more on order), plus 20 A350-1000s on order; these planes are used primarily for transpacific and other ultra long haul flying
• Delta’s secondary long haul aircraft is the Airbus A330-900neo, with 39 in the fleet, and no more on order; these planes are used primarily for transatlantic flying

Beyond that, there are the more outdated aircraft that Delta will have to replace over time:

• Delta operates 42 A330ceos, with 11 A330-200s and 31 A330-300s; these planes are an average of 16-20 years old, which is downright young by Delta standards, and they’re likely here to stay for some time
• Delta operates 59 Boeing 767s, with 38 767-300ERs and 21 767-400ERs; these planes are an average of 25-30 years old, and the 767-300ERs are expected to be withdrawn from international operations by the end of the decade, give or take

My take on Delta placing a Boeing wide body aircraft order

I don’t think this aircraft order from Delta should come as much of a surprise. Delta has over 100 “last generation” wide body jets, and the airline needed a plan to eventually replace the 767-300ERs, A330-200s, 767-400ERs, and A330-300s (probably in that order — it seems the A330-300s are here to stay, as Delta is planning new cabins for these jets). With that in mind, a few thoughts:

• Unlike American and United, Delta hasn’t ordered the A321XLR (admittedly not a wide body, but it is a long haul aircraft); it seems executives at the carrier aren’t crazy about the plane, but as Delta increasingly upgauges long haul aircraft, there are some markets where the economics may become more challenging
• The 787-10 has fantastic economics; it’s a bit bigger than the A330-900neo, while still being able to operate Delta’s entire Europe and South America network
• Focusing on three different kinds of long haul aircraft is more of a diversified strategy than what you’ll find at American and United, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing, given that the scale of the fleets we’re talking about
• Eventually, Delta’s smallest long haul aircraft may be the A330-900neo, with 281 seats, and that’s 30%+ more seats than you’ll find on the 767-300ER, with 211-216 seats
• 2031 is still a long time from now, so we’ll have to be patient for these planes; I guess that also confirms that the 767-300ERs will keep flying until at least that point… bleh!

The 787-10 seems like a good fit for Delta, given the number of planes that Delta will eventually need to replace. It’s quite a different strategy than you’ll find at United, where the airline has plans for an eventual fleet of 200+ Dreamliners. For that matter, there are also rumors of American eventually placing a 787-10 order, to eventually replace older 777s.

Bottom line

Delta has just placed a Boeing 787-10 order, with a firm order for 30 Dreamliners, and options for 30 more. The planes are expected to be delivered as of 2031, so we’re going to have to be really patient.

While Delta has been a loyal Airbus wide body customer in recent years, it’s logical enough that the airline may eventually want to diversity from the A330neo and A350. The 787-10 seems like a good fit for Delta, given its excellent per-seat economics, making it a great jet for Europe and South America flying.

I think the only questionable thing is that Delta’s smallest long haul aircraft will eventually be the A330neo, which has 30%+ more seats than the current smallest long haul aircraft, the 767. That might make some markets challenging.

What do you make of Delta’s Boeing 787-10 order?