Airbus: US based Delta places order for 15 aircraft

US based Delta Air Lines has placed an order with Airbus for fifteen A321ceo (current engine option) aircraft to offset the planned retirement of some of its older fleet.

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The deal announced today is fantastic news for the Airbus wing making factory in Broughton, it also comes on the back of an fourteen plane order from Air New Zealand announced yesterday.

The order is also a major coup for Airbus as they were competing head to head with Boeing, its been reported that Delta sent both plane makers a ‘request for proposal’ for this and potentially other larger orders, as it looks to refresh ageing planes in its fleet.

Delta currently operates a large fleet of Airbus aircraft, including 126 A320 Family aircraft and 32 A330s. The order announced today brings Delta’s backlog to 45 single-aisle Airbus A321 and 10 widebody Airbus A330 aircraft.

“The A321’s economic efficiency and product offering relative to the aircraft they will replace ensures that this opportunistic transaction will enhance profitability, customer satisfaction, and shareholder value for Delta,” said Nathaniel Pieper, Delta’s Vice President – Fleet Strategy and Transactions.

“Airbus is excited to offer Delta comfortable and efficient aircraft that fit its demanding financial and customer satisfaction goals,” said John Leahy, Airbus Chief Operating Officer Customers. “It is clear that the quality, comfort and economy of the aircraft were the right fit.”

All of Delta’s A321s will feature fuel-saving Sharklets – lightweight composite wingtip devices that offer 4 percent fuel-burn savings. This environmental benefit gives the airline the option of extending its range up to 100 nautical miles/185 kilometers or increasing payload capacity by some 1000 pounds/450 kilograms.

Many of Delta’s A321s will be delivered from Airbus’ brand-new A320 Family assembly line, currently under construction in Mobile, Alabama. Hiring is underway at the facility, and aircraft assembly will begin there next year. By 2017, the Mobile facility is expected to produce four aircraft per month.