Delta Air Lines is ordering a large number of aircraft from Boeing that you will see on flights between the United States and Europe.
The Atlanta-based airline announced on Tuesday plans to add the U.S. planemaker’s 787 Dreamliner to its fleet for the first time.
Specifically, Delta said it will buy 30 of Boeing’s largest Dreamliner model – the 787-10 – with options for an additional 30.
Deliveries are expected to begin in 2031.
Delta has been quick to update its inventory of aircraft in its fleet, and unsurprisingly, the airline confirmed that its new Dreamliners will feature high-end heavy-duty configurations, including Delta Business Class Suites and Delta Premium Select (premium economy) cabins.
The new planes will also come with all the 787’s standard features, including cabin pressurization to simulate lower altitudes and what Boeing claims will reduce jet lag among passengers.
Read more: Delta now sells ‘Comfort Basic’ fares: What to know before you book
For Delta, it’s a major endorsement of Boeing.
Although the airline has many older Boeing aircraft in its fleet (from 717s to 737s, 757s and 767s), the new aircraft it has received (or ordered) in recent years have gravitated towards Airbus.
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It’s certainly possible that Delta could use these new 787-10s to replace the decades-old 767s it operates on many of its long-haul international routes, although the airline didn’t immediately share specific plans for phasing out the older planes.
That said, Delta will launch many new Boeing aircraft over the next decade, including these new Dreamliners and its order of 100 Boeing 737 MAX 10s (the MAX 10 still needs regulatory certification).
Delta currently has 286 new aircraft on order between Boeing and Airbus that it expects to deliver over the next few years: 232 single-aisle aircraft and 54 wide-body aircraft.
This is the largest new aircraft order announced by the airline in two years since it announced plans to buy 20 Airbus A350-1000s in January 2024.
The airline calls the Dreamliner “the next step in Delta’s international growth” and says the aircraft will be a workhorse on high-demand transatlantic and South American routes in the future.
“Today’s 787 order increases the diversity of our widebody orderbook while creating cost-effective scale across all widebody fleets,” Delta Chief Financial Officer Dan Janki said in a statement announcing the news on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, it’s been a good month for Boeing.
The large purchase from Delta Air Lines comes less than a week after the airline won the largest aircraft order in Alaska Airlines history.
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