Delta AirbusA220 scaled
Airbus announced the following: Delta Air Lines has firmed up an order for a dozen more A220-300 aircraft, bringing the airline’s total firm order for A220s to 119 aircraft – 45 A220-100s and 74 A220-300s . Delta has reordered the A220 four times and is today the largest A220 customer and operator.
“These 12 additional A220 aircraft will help power our increasingly streamlined fleet while also providing our customers with the elevated in-flight experience they’ve come to expect from Delta,” said Kristen Bojko, Vice President of Fleet, Delta Air Lines.
“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. “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!”
Airbus states the A220 fleet is currently flying on over 825 routes and 325 destinations worldwide. As of the end of December 2022, some 30 customers have ordered close to 800 A220 aircraft – confirming its leading position in the small single-aisle market.
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This news is a boost to the A220 program. Delta has a careful and deliberate fleet acquisition policy. The airline has been known for keeping older aircraft in service, like the 767 and 757. Buying the C Series was uncharacteristic when the first order was made. Now Delta is buying more – a good endorsement for the aircraft. Another rather under-reported item is that Delta is by now one of the larger customers for P&W GTF, Unlike other customers who’ve run into “issues”, Delta has not reported any GTF “issues”.
Delta is arguably among Airbus’ most important customers, and creative ways will be used to fit this order into a crowded order book. Yesterday Bank of America noted that the tight order books at Airbus and Boeing could lead to more orders for Embraer. This Delta order fits right into that thinking. Any operator looking for an aircraft between 100-145 seats might well end up at Embraer for faster deliveries.
Bombardier got the C Series idea right. It continues to disrupt the market, and the sub-150 seat market continues to grow.
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