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Delta Air Lines is preparing to retire its fleet of Boeing 717 aircraft, which have been in service with the airline for over a decade. The airline acquired 88 Boeing 717s from Southwest Airlines on a long-term lease in 2012. These jets, now more than 25 years old, were originally developed by McDonnell Douglas as part of the DC-9 family and later rebranded by Boeing after acquiring McDonnell Douglas in 1997.
The decision to phase out the 717s comes as Delta seeks more modern and efficient aircraft for its regional and short-haul operations. The airline has chosen the Airbus A220 family as the replacement. Delta began operating the A220s before announcing its plan to retire the 717s in 2020, with its first A220 entering commercial service in 2019. Although retirement was initially planned for this year, delays in A220 deliveries have kept some 717s flying longer than expected.
Currently, Delta operates 79 Airbus A220 family aircraft—45 of the -100 variant (five inactive) and 34 of the larger -300 model—with an additional 66 A220-300s on order. The A220 offers similar seating capacity to the outgoing Boeing 717 but provides increased range and operational flexibility. For example, Delta's configuration seats up to 109 passengers on the A220-100 compared to 110 on the Boeing 717-200; however, the A220-100 can fly up to approximately 2,415 miles versus about 1,510 miles for the older jet.
