Quantcast

Why the Boeing 757 continues to serve transatlantic flights in 2025

Why the Boeing 757 continues to serve transatlantic flights in 2025
Policy
Webp received 2097535950687532
Boeing 757 | Wikipedia

As of 2025, three airlines are set to operate Boeing 757 aircraft on transatlantic routes: Delta Air Lines, Icelandair, and United Airlines. Delta is the world's largest operator of the passenger variants of the Boeing 757, while United ranks second. All scheduled transatlantic flights for this year will involve Boeing 757-200 variants, with no plans for the 757-300s to make the crossing.

These two US-based airlines intend to continue operating 757s for years, despite others retiring them. In January 2025, Jet2 retired the United Kingdom's last Boeing 757, and Icelandair is also progressively retiring its fleet. Nevertheless, there are hundreds of monthly Atlantic crossings by the 757. This raises a question: why is the 757 still used for transatlantic flights?

The Boeing 757 possesses sufficient range to connect destinations in the northeastern US with those in Western Europe--particularly far Western Europe. Many of United's flights target Ireland and the United Kingdom. Notably, Iceland is much closer to the United States, making it an easier destination to reach.

Get the Newsletter
Sign-up to receive weekly round up of news from Sky Industry News
By submitting, you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Service. By providing your phone number you are opting in and consenting to receive recurring SMS/MMS messages, including automated texts, to that number from our short code. Msg & data rates may apply. Reply HELP for help, STOP to end. SMS opt-in will not be sold, rented, or shared.

"According to Delta Flight Museum," said a source from Delta Flight Museum, "when th e757-200 entered service in1982,it boasted 'new technology wing and engines togive th ebest fuel mileageof anystandard-body airliner.' "

The aircraft offered an impressive45%betterfuel efficiency than older727sit replaced.Still,the relative economy haseroded overtime.

Boeing575

Enteredservice:

Numberbuilt:

Productionend:

Typical seating:

Range:

Fuel economy:

1983

,050

,004

seats

,505 miles around80 .7 miles pergallon(mpg)perseat

With114 examplesinservice,the typeofaircraftmakesupabout12%ofDelta'sfleet. While new narrowbody aircraft like AirbusA32XLRor73MAX8maybemoreefficienton these routes,a irlinescanonlyflytheaircrafttheyhave.AsIcelandairreceivesitsnewA321s,itretire sitsold575s.Howev er,Deltaplansto holdontotheirconsiderablefleetslonger.Despiteagehigherfuelburn,costscanstillbecompetitiv eduetolowermaintenanceneedscommonalitypart sacrossremainingfleets .It enjoysahighdegreecommonalitywidebody767.BothDeltaoperateaconsiderableamount.

"The575sharedcommonsystemsBoeing767includingadvancedwingtechnologyairconditioningpacksauxiliarypowerunitTwoplaneshadsimilarflightdeckdesignssotheFAAallowedpilotswhoflewalsowithoutgoingthroughadditionaltraining"-DeltaFlightMuseum

Typicallyconfiguredaround200seatsmakinggreatsolutionroutesmoderatepassenger demand.Impressiverangenarrowbodyaircraftconnectsmallerairportswheremightnotfeasible.AdditionallyairframeoptionconnectingsecondarycitiesacrossAtlantic.Onelimitingfactorsomerestrictuse noisyfavorquieterconsideredrelativelyloudcomparedmodernmodelshoweversizenotexcessivelynoisy

Organizations Included in this History
More News

United Airlines has addressed the issue that caused the airline to disable its new Starlink Wi-Fi systems on regional jets last month.

Jul 17, 2025

Imagine spending $2,500 or more on a business-class ticket only to find out that selecting your seat comes with an extra charge.

Jul 17, 2025

FedEx Corp. has announced that Sriram Krishnasamy is stepping down from his roles as executive vice president, chief digital and information officer, and chief transformation officer.

Jul 17, 2025

Taking place on July 19 and 20 in Portsmouth, Emirates Airline will be present at the Emirates Great Britain Sail Grand Prix offering a variety of experiences.

Jul 17, 2025

Hyatt has introduced a new feature to enhance the experience of booking award nights on its website.

Jul 17, 2025

Delta Air Lines has announced an expansion of its partnership with Uber, providing select Delta Amex cardmembers with complimentary Uber One memberships.

Jul 17, 2025