If COVID-19 is doing something nasty – it’s forcing airlines to adjust their fleets. Delta Air Lines is no exception, with the airline now choosing to withdraw its entire Boeing 777 wide-body fleet.
Delta Air Lines Boeing 777-200LR – Image, Delta
Delta currently operates a fleet of 18 widebody Boeing 777 aircraft, with the type due to exit operates by the end of 2020.
This is split into:
- 10 Boeing 777-200LR
- 8 Boeing 777-200ER
The result will be a more streamlined long-haul fleet for the airline, focusing on the Airbus A330-200, Airbus A330-300 Airbus A350 family, Boeing 767-300ER and Boeing 767-400ER.
The Boeing 777-200 first entered the Delta fleet in 1999 and grew to 18 aircraft, including 10 of the long-range 777-200LR variant, which arrived in 2008.
This isn’t the first retirement that Delta is making – already the MD-88 and MD-90 aircraft redundant, to be withdrawn in June 2020.
In Quotes
Gil West, Delta’s Chief Operating Officer said
“We’re making strategic, cost-effective changes to our fleet to respond to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic while also ensuring Delta is well-positioned for the recovery on the backside of the crisis,”
“The 777 has been a reliable part of Delta’s success since it joined the fleet in 1999 and because of its unique operating characteristics, opened new non-stop, ultra-long-haul markets that only it could fly at that time.”
Dates to be set
No specific dates have been given for the retirement of the Boeing 777 from the Delta fleet, other than by the end of the year. Considering they’ve been through a major refurbishment that has only been completed a few months ago… it will sting.
But it seems its cheaper to retire the type, rather than keep them in the air – even if they have nine-across seating down the back.
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Wow oh Wow! Delta used to be all Boeing, 100% and now it’s turning into zero percent Boeing.
I wonder if they’ll trade with AA. AA is eliminating all A333 & A332 and 767 so those could go to Delta.
Delta can give AA all of their 777s.