Delta Air Lines fleet
Delta Air Lines operates 821 commercial aircraft, making it the second largest airline fleet in the world. In the past, Delta purchased or leased older generation aircraft and it flies aircraft for 20–30 years, much longer than most other major airlines. In 2011, however, Delta began a massive fleet-renewal effort with narrow- and wide-body aircraft on order. Delta as a result now flies the second oldest fleet amongst legacy carriers, with an average fleet age of 14.5 years.
Fleet overview
Delta's fleet consists of 821 Airbus and Boeing aircraft. 521 Boeing aircraft make up about 63% of Delta's fleet, while its 300 Airbus aircraft make about 37%. Its 673 narrow-body aircraft comprise about 82% of its fleet, while its 148 wide-body aircraft comprise the remaining 18%.Delta operates the largest fleets of the Boeing 717, the Boeing 757, and the Boeing 767 worldwide. Alongside United Airlines, it is one of only two airlines worldwide operating the Boeing 767-400ER. Additionally, as of June 2020, Delta was the last airline in the world operating the MD-90.
Delta has one of the oldest fleets of any United States airline, with an average fleet age of 14.5 years as of 2020. Its oldest aircraft types are the Boeing 757-200, Boeing 767-300ER, and Airbus A320-200, which have an average age of 22.4, 23.6 and 24.4 years, respectively. Its youngest aircraft types are the Boeing 737-900ER, Airbus A350-900, Airbus A321-200, Airbus A220-100, and Airbus A330-900neo, which have an average age of 3.3, 1.8, 1.7, 0.6, and 0.5 years, respectively.
Delta's previous fleet strategy focused on purchasing older generation or used aircraft at low cost, but recently began a large fleet renewal project with 25 A350-900 and 25 A330-900 aircraft and its order of 95 Airbus A220 aircraft.
In September 2013, Delta ordered 30 A321, its first order with Airbus in more than two decades. Delta ordered 15 more in 2014, an additional 37 in 2016, and 40 more in 2017.
In addition, Delta ordered 100 A321neo aircraft in December 2017 to replace its aging McDonnell Douglas MD-80/90 series and Boeing 757s.
Delta primarily uses narrow-body aircraft for its domestic flights within the United States and international flights from the United States to Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, and some European destinations. Most of its Boeing 717 aircraft are based in Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport and are mainly used for short-haul flights. Its Airbus A220, Airbus A320, Boeing 737 and Boeing 757 aircraft are used for short-haul flights and medium-haul transcontinental flights, while some of its Boeing 757-200 aircraft are used on long and thin flights to Europe. Delta primarily uses its wide-body aircraft on long-haul flights to Africa, Asia, Europe, Oceania, and South America. Its Airbus A330s, Boeing 767-300ERs, and Boeing 767-400ERs mainly operate on flights to Europe, while the Airbus A350-900s and Boeing 777-200s mainly operate on flights to Asia.
In September 2019, Delta Air Lines announced that it was taking a 20% stake in LATAM. As part of this deal, Delta will takeover LATAM's purchase rights for 6 A350-1000 and 4 A350-900.
In a memo on March 18, 2020, to company employees, Delta CEO Ed Bastian announced that as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic impact on airline operations, they accelerated the retirement of the remaining MD-88 and MD-90 aircraft, as well as some older Boeing 767s. All the MD-88 and MD-90 aircraft were retired on June 2, 2020, with its final revenue flight from Washington-Dulles to Atlanta on MD-88, and from Houston to Atlanta on MD-90, becoming the last operator to fly the MD-90 and as well the last major U.S. airlines to fly the MD-88. The retirement of their MD-88s and MD-90s officially ended the 80-year era of Delta flying Douglas and McDonnell Douglas aircraft which started in 1940, with the DC-3. Furthermore, on May 14, 2020, Delta announced that the airline will be retiring their Boeing 777s as a result of the pandemic, and to further simplify their wide-body fleet in favor of the Airbus A350-900s. When Delta announced its June quarter results, plans to retire the 737-700, as well as accelerate 767-300ER and A320-200 retirements were revealed.
Current fleet
As of July 2020, Delta Air Lines fleet consists of the following aircraft:Fleet history
| Aircraft | Total | Introduced | Retired | Replacement | Notes |
| Airbus A310-200 | 2 | 1991 | 1993 | Airbus A310-300 | |
| Airbus A310-200 | 7 | 1991 | 1993 | Airbus A310-300 | Acquired as part of a deal with bankrupt Pan American World Airways included Pan Am's transatlantic operations and 45 aircraft. |
| Airbus A310-300 | 9 | 1991 | 1995 | Boeing 767-300ER | |
| Airbus A310-300 | 14 | 1991 | 1995 | Boeing 767-300ER | Acquired from Pan American World Airways. |
| Boeing 727-100 | 8 | 1972 | 1977 | Boeing 727-200 | Acquired as a result of the merger with Northeast Airlines |
| Boeing 727-200 | 163 | 1972 | 2003 | Boeing 737-800 Boeing 757-200 McDonnell Douglas MD-90-30 | Which time the airline operated the world's largest fleet of 727-200, 129 aircraft. |
| Boeing 727-200 | 20 | 1972 | 2003 | Boeing 737-800 Boeing 757-200 McDonnell Douglas MD-90-30 | Acquired as a result of the merger with Northeast Airlines in 1972. |
| Boeing 727-200 | 1 | 1972 | 2003 | Boeing 737-800 Boeing 757-200 McDonnell Douglas MD-90-30 | Crashed as Flight 1141. |
| Boeing 737-200 | 75 | 1983 | 2006 | Boeing 737-700 Boeing 737-800 McDonnell Douglas MD-80 McDonnell Douglas MD-90 | |
| Boeing 737-300 | 31 | 1987 | 2006 | Boeing 737-700 Boeing 737-800 | |
| Boeing 747-100 | 5 | 1970 | 1977 | Lockheed L-1011 TriStar | Retired due to the 1970s Oil Crisis. |
| Boeing 747-400 | 16 | 2009 | 2018 | Airbus A350-900 | Acquired as a result of merger with Northwest Airlines. Last passenger 747 operated by a North American airline |
| Boeing 747-400 | 1 | 2009 | 2018 | Airbus A350-900 | N661US ship 6301, the first 747-400 is displayed at the Delta Heritage Museum |
| Boeing 767-200 | 19 | 1982 | 2006 | Boeing 757-200 Boeing 767-300 | |
| Boeing 767-200 | 1 | 1982 | 2006 | Boeing 757-200 Boeing 767-300 | Named The Spirit Of Delta is displayed at the Delta Heritage Museum |
| Convair 340/440 | 18 | 1953 | 1970 | McDonnell Douglas DC-9 | Delta originally decided to buy Martin 2-0-2s but in 1951 ordered ten Convair 340s instead. Eight Convair 440s were delivered from 1956 and the 340s were converted to 440s. |
| Convair 340/440 | 10 | 1953 | 1970 | McDonnell Douglas DC-9 | Ordered by Chicago and Southern Air Lines were delivered to Delta as a result of the merger of the two airlines in 1953. |
| Convair CV-880 | 17 | 1960 | 1973 | Boeing 727-200 | |
| Curtiss C-46 Commando | 5 | 1957 | 1967 | Lockheed L-100 | Cargo aircraft |
| Douglas DC-3 | 23 | 1940 | 1960 | Convair 340/440 Curtiss C-46 Commando | Twenty-one passenger aircraft Three C-47 cargo aircraft acquired after World War II and operated between 1946 and 1957 |
| Douglas DC-6 | 12 | 1949 | 1968 | Douglas DC-8 McDonnell Douglas DC-9 | Passenger amenities included a six-person lounge in the rear of the cabin and two pairs of aft-facing seats in the forward cabin |
| Douglas DC-7 | 11 | 1954 | 1968 | Douglas DC-8 | |
| Douglas DC-7B | 10 | 1954 | 1968 | Douglas DC-8 | |
| Douglas DC-8-11 | 22 | 1959 | 1981 | Boeing 757-200 | Delta operated the world's first scheduled DC-8 service on September 18, 1959. DC-8-11s were converted to -12s then further converted to -51s. |
| Douglas DC-8-12 | 22 | 1959 | 1981 | Boeing 757-200 | Delta operated the world's first scheduled DC-8 service on September 18, 1959. DC-8-11s were converted to -12s then further converted to -51s. |
| Douglas DC-8-51 | 22 | 1959 | 1981 | Boeing 757-200 | Delta operated the world's first scheduled DC-8 service on September 18, 1959. DC-8-11s were converted to -12s then further converted to -51s. |
| Douglas DC-8-33 | 7 | 1968 | 1974 | Boeing 747-100 | Acquired from Pan American World Airways and utilized for transatlantic interline services. |
| Douglas DC-8-61 | 13 | 1967 | 1989 | Boeing 757-200 | Converted in-house to DC-8-71s in 1982-83 |
| Douglas DC-8-71 | 13 | 1967 | 1989 | Boeing 757-200 | |
| McDonnell Douglas DC-9-14 | 16 | 1965 | 1973 | Launch customer. | |
| McDonnell Douglas DC-9-14 | 1 | 1965 | 1973 | Crashed as Flight 9570 | |
| McDonnell Douglas DC-9-30 | 77 | 1967 | 1993 | Boeing 737-200 | |
| McDonnell Douglas DC-9-30 | 1 | 1967 | 1993 | Boeing 737-200 | Crashed as Flight 723 |
| McDonnell Douglas DC-9-30 | 27 | 2009 | 2010 | Boeing 717-200 Bombardier CRJ700/900 Embraer 175 McDonnell Douglas MD-90 | Acquired as a result of merger with Northwest Airlines Never wore Delta livery |
| Fairchild Hiller FH-227 | 5 | 1972 | 1974 | McDonnell Douglas DC-9 | Acquired as a result of the merger of Delta and Northeast Airlines |
| Lockheed L-100 Hercules | 5 | 1966 | 1973 | - | Cargo aircraft Retired after delivery of wide-body passenger aircraft with large under-floor cargo compartments |
| Lockheed L-100 Hercules | 3 | 1966 | 1973 | - | Converted to L-100-20 by Lockheed Various of replacement aircraft leased from Lockheed during the conversion program |
| Lockheed L-1011 TriStar | 69 | 1973 | 2001 | Boeing 767-400ER | |
| Lockheed L-1011 TriStar | 1 | 1973 | 2001 | Boeing 767-400ER | Crashed as Flight 191 |
| McDonnell Douglas DC-9-41 | 12 | 2010 | 2011 | Boeing 717-200 Bombardier CRJ700/900 Embraer 175 McDonnell Douglas MD-90 | Acquired as a result of merger with Northwest Airlines Never wore Delta livery |
| McDonnell Douglas DC-9-51 | 34 | 2010 | 2014 | Boeing 717-200 Bombardier CRJ700/900 Embraer 175 McDonnell Douglas MD-90 | Acquired as a result of merger with Northwest Airlines |
| McDonnell Douglas DC-10-10 | 5 | 1972 | 1976 | Boeing 767-300 Lockheed L-1011 TriStar | Ordered in 1971 due to delays in development of the Lockheed L-1011 TriStar, sold to United before delivery then leased back by Delta |
| McDonnell Douglas DC-10-10 | 12 | 1987 | 1988 | Boeing 767-300 Lockheed L-1011 TriStar | Acquired as a result of Delta's merger with Western Airlines in 1987 |
| McDonnell Douglas MD-11 | 17 | 1990 | 2004 | Boeing 777-200ER Boeing 767-400ER | |
| McDonnell Douglas MD-88 | 120 | 1987 | 2020 | Airbus A220-100/300 Airbus A321-200 Airbus A321neo | |
| 78 | 1995 | 2020 | Airbus A220-100/300 Airbus A321-200 Airbus A321neo |