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Delta Air Lines’ most popular widebody in service is now the Airbus A330

Delta Air Lines’ most popular widebody in service is now the Airbus A330
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Ed Bastian, Chief Executive Officer | Delta Air Lines

Delta Air Lines is currently the second-largest airline in the United States by fleet size, with 1,010 aircraft. This places it just behind United Airlines and slightly ahead of American Airlines, which has 1,001 aircraft.

The majority of Delta’s fleet consists of narrowbody planes, but it also operates 178 widebody aircraft. Within its widebody segment, the Airbus A330 family stands out as the most numerous. Delta has a total of 80 A330s spread across three variants: 38 Airbus A330-900s (A330neos), 31 Airbus A330-300s, and 11 Airbus A330-200s.

The history of the Airbus A330 in Delta’s operations began before its merger with Northwest Airlines. Northwest acquired the A330 to support expansion across Atlantic and Pacific routes and to update its international fleet that previously relied on Boeing 747s and McDonnell Douglas DC-10-30s. By October 2007, after receiving its 32nd A330, Northwest had become the largest operator of this model globally.

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After merging with Delta, the A330 continued to be a key part of Delta's widebody strategy. In recent years, Delta ordered additional units to replace older models in its fleet. The company was also the launch customer for the Airbus A330neo in the U.S., placing an initial order for 25 aircraft in November 2014 and taking delivery of its first unit in May 2019.

Delta’s current fleet includes several configurations for these aircraft types:

- The Airbus A330neo can fly up to 7,350 nautical miles (13,612 km) and seats up to 281 passengers across four classes: business class (29), premium economy (28), economy comfort (56), and economy class (168).

- The Airbus A330-300 has a range of up to 6,350 nautical miles (11,760 km) and seats up to 282 passengers: business class (34), premium economy (21), economy comfort (24), and economy class (203).

- The smaller-capacity Airbus A330-200 offers seating for up to 223 passengers: business class (34), premium economy (21), economy comfort (24), and economy class (144).

Outside of the Airbus A330 family, Delta operates other widebody models including Boeing 767s—39 units of the -300ER variant averaging an age of about 29 years and another 21 units of -400ER averaging over two decades old. These older jets are scheduled for retirement by decade’s end.

Delta also maintains a growing presence with newer widebodies such as the Airbus A350-900. Currently operating a fleet of 38 with six more pending delivery, these jets have an average age just above five years. Each is configured for up to 306 passengers distributed among four cabin classes.

The airline’s ongoing renewal efforts reflect an industry-wide trend toward modernizing fleets while managing capacity growth.

Organizations Included in this History
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