Delta Air Lines (DL, Atlanta Hartsfield Jackson) unveiled an order for up to 40 new Airbus (AIR.PA) A350 1000 widebody planes on Friday, with deliveries of the first 20 jets scheduled to begin in 2026. The airline also said it had options for a further 20 planes. The airline added that the order will bring Delta’s A350 fleet to 36. The A350-1000 is the most significant variant of the A350 family and will be powered by Rolls-Royce Trent XWB-97 engines, a more powerful variant than those used on the A350-900. The airline said the A350-1000 is more fuel efficient than the retiring jets it will replace and supports Delta’s long-term sustainability goals.
The airline said that the A350-1000 will operate primarily in long-haul markets and international hubs, supporting Delta’s global expansion strategy and replacing retiring aircraft. The planes will feature world-class amenities and offer about 15% more premium seats than the planes they will replace, including Delta One Suites, Delta Premium Select and Delta Comfort+, and Main Cabin seating. It will also have over 1,000 hours of free in-flight entertainment from Delta Studio and fast in-flight Wi-Fi.
For Delta, which positioned itself as an airline of choice for business travelers and saw revenue from premium cabins outpace economy seats during the pandemic, the A350-1000 will help to serve more routes, particularly in Asia. The airline expects its fleet to grow by 8% this year, adding 24 aircraft to the current mix of 284 narrowbody and 48 widebody planes.
Delta became the American launch customer for the A350 in 2017 when it began phasing out its Boeing 747 fleet and switched to the new model. The airline now has 28 A350-900s in service and 16 on order. Delta will operate the A350 on some of its longest flights, such as the Atlanta-Joburg route, which requires a longer-range aircraft than the 777-200ERs it replaced.
This latest order reflects Delta’s confidence that strength in overseas travel will endure as passenger demand resumes. The airline’s international flights are already up 25% year-over-year versus the fourth quarter of 2022, with corporate sales a significant contributor.
The A350-1000 will be a crucial component of Delta’s growing network as it returns to its pre-pandemic capacity growth. Delta is deploying the new planes to serve destinations across Europe, Africa, and Asia. These will include the airline’s long-haul joint venture with Virgin Atlantic and other Skyteam partners and routes to India, Dubai, Melbourne, Singapore, and beyond. It could even signal a return to Seoul, which Delta has only served over the last two years via a partnership with Korean Air.