Delta Air Lines (DL, Atlanta Hartsfield Jackson) declared its readiness last week to cover some of the expansion costs of Salt Lake City airport in return for a 10-year extension of its lease at the terminal in a sign of long-term commitment to the base, The Salt Lake Tribune reported.

The airline is reportedly willing to cover any shortfall in interest payments of the USD1 billion bond the airport operator issued to fund the expansion, worth USD3.6 billion in total.

If finalised, the lease extension would see Delta set to remain the largest operator at Salt Lake City through at least 2034.

According to the ch-aviation capacity module, the airline currently operates 1,584 weekly departures out of the airport and has a 69.1% market share by capacity there. It is the only major airline to base its aircraft out of Salt Lake City. The airport is the airline's fourth largest base after Atlanta Hartsfield Jackson, Detroit Metropolitan, and Minneapolis St. Paul International, the ch-aviation capacity module shows.

The new terminal at the airport is set to be partially opened in August 2020 with works continuing through 2023 or 2024. In the initial phase, the new terminal will feature 78 new gates, 22 more than currently available.

Delta Air Lines refused to comment on the negotiations until they are finalised.