Despite not receiving flattering comments at the recent Dubai Air Show 2023 the A350-1000 has secured some important orders in the early stages of 2024. Just recently EVA Air placed an order for the aircraft type and now a new one has come in from one of the largest airlines in the world. Delta Air Lines has in fact confirmed it’ll be purchasing the A350-1000. Here’s why this is a very important sale for Airbus and its A350-1000 project.
In this post:
- The details of the Delta A350-1000 order
- Why is it so important for Airbus
- How will the Delta fleet evolve?
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How Many Airbus A350-1000s did Delta Order and When Will They Arrive?
Delta’s order is big but not massive. The American carrier has placed a firm order for 20 Airbus A350-1000, the largest version of the aircraft type.
The agreement though also includes the possibility of adding further 20 units to the order if the airline so wishes. That would bring the grand total of this order to 40 A350-1000 units.
Also we won’t have to wait all that long to see the A350-1000 wearing the Delta livery. Deliveries of the first of these 20 (or 40) wide body jets will arrive starting 2026. That is quite a short waiting time, considering what has been going on with aircraft deliveries in recent years.
Why Is It An Important Order For Airbus?
This order is particularly important for Airbus. Strategically it is even more important than the one just recently secured with EVA Air. Delta is one of the largest airlines in the world and arguably the most important carrier in the US. Although they already operated the A350-900 and the A330-900 they were still missing a high capacity ULR capable plane in the 777 size category. The fact the carrier confirmed its trust in Airbus despite doubts casted on the A350-1000 is very important for the project and its public image.
Not only this order could be only an initial agreement and see Delta later order an even larger number of the 1000 series if the it performs well. Potentially it could be worth much more. Who knows maybe the A350-1000 will prove to be a winning move which could bring others to follow in the American market.
How will the Delta fleet evolve?
Delta simply doesn’t own any aircraft that possess the size and capacity qualities of the A350-1000. The plane will be by far the biggest in the Delta fleet.
Therefore the plane in my opinion won’t be replacing any other current jets as it will instead be integrating the fleet on the higher end of the capacity spectrum.
Having larger planes has become more and more key to an airline’s success. Airports around the world have become super congested and gate constraints at larger hubs are limiting airlines in their operations. This is why Delta purchasing the A350-1000 makes so much sense.
The carrier will, with the arrival of the first planes, operate 3 out 4 Airbus new generation jet variants:
- A330-900
- A350-900
- A350-1000
The only variant missing would be the A330-800, which is highly unlikely to join DL exactly for what I just explained above.
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