Analysis of Delta’s Widebody Replacement Options for 767-300ER and 747-400

By Vinay Bhaskara / Published March 2014

Delta Boeing 747-400

Delta Air Lines is considering the release of a request for proposals (RFPs) for the replacement of fifty widebody aircraft from its fleet. According to a report from Aviation Week last week, the carrier would look to replace a significant proportion of its Boeing 767-300ER and 747-400 fleets..

The Aviation Week report states that Delta will consider aircraft from the Boeing 787 family, the Airbus A350 family, the Airbus A330 family, and an Airbus A330neo – if launched. Additionally, while company CEO Richard Anderson ruled out an order for the recently launched Boeing 777X, calling it an “experimental airplane,” he did not rule out an order for the current-generation Boeing 777-300ER. In particular, Anderson was also complimentary of the A330neo, stating,  “I hope they (Airbus) do offer an A330NEO… There is a huge need for a small widebody. We really need Airbus to step up and re-engine.”

Delta Airbus A330-300

Delta currently has a widebody order book of 28 airframes, including an order for ten Airbus A330-300 aircraft, as well as one for 18 Boeing 787-8 aircraft. The order for 18 787-8s was inherited in Delta’s 2008 merger with Northwest Airlines and was initially scheduled to be delivered between 2010 and 2012.

However, in October 2010, Delta deferred delivery of these aircraft to occur between 2020 and 2022. Delta also held 50 purchase options for additional Boeing 787 aircraft, but these were cancelled or otherwise lapsed, and no longer appear in Delta’s SEC filings. Delta currently holds purchase options for 6 Boeing 777-200LR aircraft, which could, in theory, be converted to firm orders for the larger Boeing 777-300ER.

The Boeing 787-8 has been used by several airlines around the world as a Boeing 767-300ER replacement, usually in seating configurations of between 200 and 250 passengers. Delta currently operates 58 Boeing 767-300ER aircraft seating between 208 and 226 passengers, and 16 Boeing 747-400 aircraft seating 376 passengers. The expensive D-checks on Delta’s 747 fleet will occur near the end of this decade, so Delta is looking to replace the fleet prior to that.

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Contact the author at Vinay.Bhaskara@Airchive.com