Delta Air Lines is due to buy 12 more Airbus A220-300 aircraft – the 130-seat version of the twin-engine medium-range jets that are a major feature of the carrier’s fleet update. Delta was the first U.S. airline to adopt the narrow-body A220 series and is the largest operator of that Airbus aircraft. Currently, the carrier has 14 A220-300s and 45 of the smaller A220-100s in service.
With the new order, Delta has a delivery backlog of 60 A220-300s.
The new aircraft will be delivered in 2026-27, according to Delta. It placed a comparable order for 12 aircraft last July.
"These 12 additional A220 aircraft will help power our increasingly streamlined fleet while also providing our customers with the elevated in-flight experience they’ve come to expect from Delta,” stated Delta vice president Kristen Bojko.
Neither Airbus nor its customer indicated a value to the new order, though it could be as much as $1.08 billion based on the A220-300’s listed price of $90 million.
“Delta Air Lines was the U.S. launch customer for the A220 and this fourth reorder in just four years by a leading carrier as Delta is a most gratifying endorsement,” according to Airbus chief commercial officer Christian Scherer. “The aircraft is currently connecting Delta passengers on more than 100 routes at 25 percent* less fuel and CO2 emissions.”
A220 series jets are powered by Pratt & Whitney PW1500G geared turbofan engines, which promise “at least 20% lower fuel-burn per seat compared to previous generation aircraft,” according to Airbus. The OEM boasts that the A220 series will gain a dominant share of the 100- to 150-seat aircraft market over the next 20 years.
The A220 aircraft – a series that Airbus incorporated through its acquisition of the Bombardier C-Series program – are assembled in Quebec and in Mobile, Ala.
