Delta Air Lines (DL, Atlanta Hartsfield Jackson) is actively engaged with Boeing regarding the proposed new middle-of-the-market (MoM) aircraft and hopes to become the launch operator of the type.
"You're going to see us participate in Boeing’s middle-of-the-market campaign. I hope that we're going to be a launch customer on that program as well," CEO Ed Bastian told Bloomberg.
The carrier is looking to the proposed new type as a potential replacement for its fleet of B757-200s, B757-300s, and B767-300s. The MoM jet could be deployed on long domestic routes and shorter international services.
According to the ch-aviation fleets module, Delta Air Lines currently operates 111 B757-200s, sixteen B757-300s, two B767-300s, and fifty-seven B767-300(ER)s. The airline also has 100 A321-100/-200neos on order from Airbus. The MOM jet is expected to offer a longer range and more capacity than the A321neo.
Boeing revealed some details of its MoM jet during the 2017 Paris Air Show, but has yet to firm the aircraft's configuration. The US manufacturer is planning to draw heavily on designs of the B777 and B787 programmes, use composites to a large extent, and is considering a loosely defined "hybrid cross-section".
Bastian's remarks are seen as a detente in Delta/Boeing relations after a trade argument caused by Boeing's unsuccessful pursuit to impose punitive tariffs on Bombardier Aerospace CSeries aircraft. The American company said the Bombardier jet was sold at dumping prices. Delta has ordered seventy-five A220-100s from the Canadian manufacturer and is the largest customer of the programme globally.
