Delta Air Lines fleet

List of aircraft operated by Delta Air Lines From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Delta Air Lines fleet consists of 987 mainline aircraft, making it the third largest commercial airline fleet in the world.[1] Prior to its 2008 merger with Northwest Airlines, Delta mostly operated aircraft built in the United States. The merger introduced Airbus models, now the majority, into Delta’s fleet. Historically, Delta has favored used and older-generation aircraft to lower acquisition costs. Its in-house MRO division, Delta TechOps, plays a key role in efficiently managing the complexity of this diverse fleet, while also generating revenue servicing aircraft and engines for other airlines. Delta operates the world's largest passenger subfleets of Airbus A220, Boeing 717, Boeing 757, Boeing 767, and Airbus A330 aircraft.[2] Wide-body aircraft including the Airbus A330, Airbus A350, and Boeing 767, are deployed on long-haul routes to Europe, Asia, Africa, Oceania, and South America. As of December 2024, Delta's average fleet age is 14.8 years.[3]

Many in-line airplanes with the Delta Air Lines logo on the tail, parked on the pavement behind a fence.
Delta Air Lines aircraft parked on a taxiway at Kansas City International Airport during the COVID-19 pandemic

Fleet

As of December 2025, Delta Air Lines operates the following mainline aircraft:[3][4]

More information Aircraft, In service ...
Delta Air Lines fleet
Aircraft In
service		 Orders Passengers Notes
J F W Y+ Y Total Refs
Airbus A220-100 45 — — 12 — 15 82 109 [5]
Airbus A220-300 36 64 — 12 — 30 88 130 [6]
Airbus A319-100 57 — — 12 — 18 102 132 [7]
Airbus A320-200 45 — — 16 — 18 123 157 [8]
Airbus A321-200 127 — — 20 — 29 142 191 [9]
Airbus A321neo 87 102 16 — 12 54 66 148 [10][11][12] Order with 36 options.
— 20 — 60 114 194
44 54 66 164 Temporary configuration.[13]
Airbus A330-200 11 — 34 — 21 24 144 223 [14]
Airbus A330-300 31 — 34 — 21 24 203 282 [15]
Airbus A330-900 39 16 29 — 28 56 168 281 [16][17] Order with 20 options.
Deliveries begin 2029.
Airbus A350-900 22 19 40 — 40 36 159 275 [16][18]
18 32 48 190 306
Airbus A350-1000 — 20 53 — 48 51 162 314 [19][20] Deliveries begin 2027.[16]
Boeing 717-200 80 — — 12 — 20 78 110 [21]
Boeing 737-800 77 — — 16 — 36 108 160 [22]
Boeing 737-900ER 130 — — 20 — 21 139 180 [23]
21 12 24 137 173 To be reconfigured.[24]
12 6 162 180
Boeing 737 MAX 10 — 100 — 20 — 33 129 182 [25] Order with 30 options.[26]
Deliveries begin 2027.[27]
Boeing 757-200 12 — 16 — — 44 108 168 [28] Older aircraft to be retired.
6 — 20 41 132 193
46 29 150 199
11 72 — — 72 Charter configuration.
Boeing 757-300 16 — — 24 — 32 178 234 [29]
Boeing 767-300ER 5 — 36 — — 32 143 211 [30] To be retired by 2030.[31]
32 26 18 21 151 216
Boeing 767-400ER 21 — 34 — 20 28 156 238 [32]
Boeing 787-10 — 30 TBA [33] Order with 30 options.[34]
Deliveries begin 2031.[35]
Total 987 351
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Fleet renewal

As of December 2024, Delta continued to refresh its fleet of 975 mainline and 317 regional aircraft with orders of 294 new and more fuel-efficient aircraft with increased premium seating and cargo capacity to replace retiring aircraft, while modifying existing aircraft cabins to increase premium offerings and harmonize interiors.[36] Since its merger with Northwest Airlines, Delta has retired its Boeing 737-700, 747-200 (freighters), 747-400, 777, and its McDonnell Douglas DC-9, MD-88, and MD-90 sub-fleets.[37] During that time, Delta made innovative deals, including a lease of 88 used Boeing 717 aircraft from Boeing and Southwest Airlines in 2012, an order for 75 Bombardier CS100 (now Airbus A220-100) aircraft in April 2016 at a steep discount for less than $20m each, well below their $33.2m production cost, which led Boeing to accuse the manufacturer of dumping the aircraft,[38] and the acquisition of purchase rights for 10 LATAM Airlines Airbus A350 aircraft on order as part of a deal to acquire a 20% equity stake in LATAM Airlines Group in September 2019.[39]

Fleet history

More information Aircraft, Total ...
Delta Air Lines retired fleet
Aircraft Total Introduced Retired Replacement Notes
Airbus A310-200[40][41] 9 1991 1995 Boeing 767-300ER Former Pan American World Airways fleet.[42]
Airbus A310-300 23 1996
Boeing 727-100 8 1972 1977 Boeing 727-200 Former Northeast Airlines fleet.[43]
Boeing 727-200 183 2003 Boeing 737-800
Boeing 757-200
McDonnell Douglas MD-90		 One crashed as Flight 1141.
Boeing 737-200 75 1983 2006 Boeing 737-800
McDonnell Douglas MD-88
McDonnell Douglas MD-90		 One damaged as Flight 1581.
Boeing 737-300 31 1987 Boeing 737-800
Boeing 737-700 10 2008 2020 Airbus A220
Airbus A319-100		 Early retirement due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Boeing 747-100 5 1970 1977[44] Lockheed L-1011 TriStar Early retirement due to the 1970s energy crisis.
Boeing 747-400 16 2008 2018 Airbus A350-900 Former Northwest Airlines fleet.
Last major passenger 747 operator in North America.[45]
N661US ship 6301, the first 747-400 is displayed at the Delta Flight Museum. The aircraft was involved in a rudder hardover incident in 2002.
Boeing 767-200 15 1982 2006 Boeing 737-800
Boeing 757-200
Boeing 767-300ER		 N102DA ship 102 named The Spirit Of Delta, is displayed at the Delta Flight Museum.
Boeing 767-300 28 1986 2019 Airbus A321-200
Boeing 737-900ER
Boeing 767-300ER
Boeing 777-200ER 8 1999 2020[46] Airbus A330-900
Airbus A350		 Early retirement due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Boeing 777-200LR 10 2008
Convair CV-240 family 18 1953 1970 McDonnell Douglas DC-9 Originally decided to buy Martin 2-0-2s but in 1951 ordered ten CV-340s instead.
Eight CV-440s were delivered from 1956 and Delta modified retrospectively its 340s to 440s.[47]
10 Ordered by Chicago and Southern Air Lines were delivered to Delta due to their merger in 1953.
Convair CV-880 17 1960 1973 Boeing 727-200 One written off as Flight 954.
Curtiss C-46 Commando 5 1957 1967 Lockheed L-100 [48]
Douglas DC-2 4 1940 1941 Unknown Acquired from American Airlines. First Douglas aircraft to join the Delta fleet.[49]
Douglas DC-3 21 1940 1960 Convair CV-240 family [50]
3 Curtiss C-46 Commando Acquired after World War II and operated between 1946 and 1957.[51]
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.[52]
Douglas DC-7 11 1954 Douglas DC-8 [53]
Douglas DC-7B 10
Douglas DC-8-11 22 1959 1981 Boeing 727-200 Operated the world's first scheduled DC-8 service (from New York to Atlanta) on September 18, 1959.
DC-8-11s were converted to -12s then further converted to -51s.[54]
One crashed at Flight 9877.
Two hijacked as Flight 841 and Flight 821.
Douglas DC-8-12
McDonnell Douglas DC-8-33
McDonnell Douglas DC-8-51
McDonnell Douglas DC-8-61 13 1967 1989 Boeing 757-200
McDonnell Douglas DC-8-71 Leased from UPS Airlines.
Converted in-house to DC-8-71s in 1982-83.[54]
Fairchild Hiller FH-227 5 1972 1974 McDonnell Douglas DC-9 Former Northeast Airlines fleet.[55]
Lockheed L-100 Hercules 5 1966 1973 None Retired after delivery of wide-body passenger aircraft with large under-floor cargo compartments.
3 Converted to L-100-20 by Lockheed.
Various replacement aircraft were leased from Lockheed during the conversion program.[56]
Lockheed L-749 Constellation 10 1953 1958 Douglas DC-7 Acquired through the purchase of Chicago & Southern Air Lines.[57]
Lockheed L-1011 TriStar 70 1973 2001 Boeing 767 Largest L-1011 operator, including the long-range L-1011-500.
One crashed as Flight 191.
McDonnell Douglas DC-9-14 17 1965 1973[58] Boeing 737-200 Launch customer.
One crashed as Flight 9570.
McDonnell Douglas DC-9-30 77 1967 1993[58][nb 1] One crashed as Flight 723.
One hijacked as Flight 523.
27 2010 2010 Boeing 717-200
McDonnell Douglas MD-90		 Former Northwest Airlines fleet.
Never wore Delta livery.[59]
McDonnell Douglas DC-9-41 12 2011
McDonnell Douglas DC-9-51 34 2014 Former Northwest Airlines fleet.
N782NC ship 9873 preserved at Northland Community & Technical College.
N767NC ship 9858 preserved at Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport for fire training.
N675MC ship 9880 preserved at Delta Flight Museum.
McDonnell Douglas DC-10-10 5 1972 1976 Lockheed L-1011 TriStar Ordered in 1971 due to delays in the development of the Lockheed TriStar, sold to United Airlines before delivery then leased back by Delta.
9 1987 1988 Former Western Airlines fleet.[60]
McDonnell Douglas MD-11 17 1990 2004 Boeing 767
Boeing 777-200ER
McDonnell Douglas MD-88 120 1987 2020 Airbus A220
Airbus A321-200
Boeing 737-900ER		 Retirement accelerated due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
One was written off as Flight 1086.
One was damaged as Flight 1288.
McDonnell Douglas MD-90 65 1995 Retirement accelerated due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
First and final MD-90 operator.
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Notes

  1. [1]
    Delta originally had DC-9-30s from 1967 to 1993. Delta sold some of its DC-9-30s back to McDonnell Douglas, which sold them to ValuJet, forming ValuJet's initial fleet. ValuJet would eventually become Delta's main Atlanta-based rival, AirTran Airways. However, Delta inherited a fleet of -30s in 2008 when it merged with Northwest Airlines. Two of these had been delivered to Delta in 1967.

References

Further reading

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