Delta Air Lines in Deal for 37 Airbus A321s

By Susan Carey 

A day after Delta Air Lines Inc. ordered 75 small jetliners from Bombardier Inc., the carrier on Friday said it is adding 37 of the largest single-aisle aircraft made by Airbus Group SE to its fleet.

Atlanta-based Delta, the No. 2 U.S. carrier by traffic, is in the midst of an aggressive update of its narrowbody fleet, seeking to replace about 116 older MD-88 aircraft and other jetliners with more fuel-efficient new planes. The 37 additional Airbus A321s will boost Delta's A321 fleet to 82, with total deliveries running through 2019. Terms weren't disclosed.

Ed Bastian, Delta's president, said Friday that the deal is "an opportunistic fleet move" because Airbus is nearing the end of production of the A321, and will be moving next year to a new-engine version of the aircraft. Delta took delivery of its first A321 in March and that airplane is slated to make its first revenue flight on Monday, the company said. A typical A321 can carry about 185 passengers and fly 4,000 nautical miles.

Delta also operates 126 A320s, a smaller version of the same aircraft.

On Thursday, Delta became the U.S. launch customer of a new model, Bombardier's CS100, when it placed firm orders for 75 of the roughly 100-seat aircraft. At list price, the firm order is valued at $5.6 billion, although experts believe Delta is getting a steep discount. Deliveries are slated to begin in 2018. Delta said the new plane promises to be 20% more fuel efficient than similarly sized aircraft already in its fleet.

Write to Susan Carey at [e-mail]

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

April 29, 2016 06:56 ET (10:56 GMT)

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