US airline Delta orders 100 Airbus A321 jets worth £9.5bn

US-based Delta Air Lines has picked Airbus over Boeing for an order of 100 new jets.

The deal is worth around £9.5bn at list price but the airline is likely to get a significant discount on that.

“This is the right transaction at the right time for our customers, our employees and our shareholders,” said Delta CEO Ed Bastian. “Delta, Airbus and Pratt & Whitney share the same commitment to safety, efficiency, innovation and continuously improving the customer experience.

This order for the state-of-the-art A321neo with Pratt’s Pure Power next-generation jet engines reflects our long-term commitment to these values for Delta people and all our constituents.”

“We at Airbus are very happy we won this hotly-contested campaign, together with our partner Pratt, and we are proud to serve Delta with the A321neo.

This important order will further strengthen our partnership with Delta – one of the world’s best airlines – which we have developed over many years.” said Tom Enders, Airbus Chief Executive Officer.

“It is also good news for our employees in Mobile, Alabama, where most of the Delta planes will be manufactured. We look forward to seeing the A321neo ACF flying in Delta colours soon.”

Delta’s announcement on the A321neo ACF follows several orders in recent years for the current engine option (ceo) version of the A321.

Delta has ordered a total of 117 A321ceos, each powered by CFM56 engines from CFM International.