ATLANTA, Dec. 14, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Delta Air
Lines (NYSE: DAL) and Airbus have agreed to terms for a 100 firm
and 100 option order for state-of-the-art Airbus 321neo (new engine
option) aircraft with deliveries beginning in 2020. The new jets,
which will be powered by Pratt & Whitney geared-turbofan
engines, will feature cutting-edge safety, efficiency and
comfort.
"This is the right transaction at the right time for our
customers, our employees and our shareholders," said Delta CEO
Ed Bastian. "Delta, Airbus and Pratt
& Whitney share the same commitment to safety, efficiency,
innovation and continuously improving the customer experience. This
order for the state-of-the-art A321neo with Pratt's Pure Power
next-generation jet engines reflects our long-term commitment to
these values for Delta people and all our constituents."
Airbus A321neo
Delta will configure the A321neo to a total of 197 seats
including seating for 20 in First Class, 30 in Delta Comfort+ and
147 in the main cabin. On-demand inflight entertainment, fast
satellite-based 2Ku in-flight Wi-Fi, power ports as well as
streaming video content will be available at every seat through
Delta Studio. The cabin will also feature expansive,
25-percent-larger bookshelf-style overhead bins and full spectrum
LED cabin lighting.
Delta expects to take delivery of its first A321neo in the first
quarter of 2020 with new aircraft arriving through 2023.
"The A321neo will equip Delta employees with a
customer-preferred, versatile narrowbody aircraft befitting their
position as a global airline leader — and we are excited to
continue to partner with them as they deliver industry-leading
operational performance, customer satisfaction and financial
results," said John Leahy, Chief
Operating Officer — Customers, Airbus Commercial Aircraft. "This
purchase furthers our commitment to U.S. aviation — a commitment
that has never been stronger. Today, there is more U.S.
content in Airbus aircraft than from any other country, with more
than 40 percent of our aircraft-related procurement coming from the
United States. In addition, our workforce at the U.S.
Manufacturing Facility in Mobile,
Alabama is proud that they will be delivering many of these
A321neos to Delta in the coming years."
Pratt & Whitney engine MRO provider
Delta is also announcing a long-term commitment with Pratt &
Whitney for Delta TechOps to be a major maintenance, repair and
overhaul provider for the Pure Power PW1100G and PW1500G engines,
powering Delta's A321neo and C Series aircraft. This latest
generation family of Pratt & Whitney engines is a major factor
in the 12 percent fuel efficiency improvement on a per seat basis
Delta expects over classic A321 performance.
"Pratt & Whitney's commitment to complete over 5,000 engine
repairs and overhauls at Delta TechOps is possible because of the
high level of professionalism and quality MRO work the Delta
TechOps team performs for the Delta fleet and to more than 150
additional airline and aviation customers based across the globe,"
said Delta COO Gil West. "Delta
TechOps' position as an MRO industry leader and the largest in
North America will be fortified
even further with the addition of Pratt & Whitney engines to
its extensive portfolio."
This commitment by Pratt & Whitney will drive significant
job creation within the Delta TechOps workforce and comes as Delta
is already making significant investments to its engine overhaul
capabilities at its Atlanta Technical Operations Center, including
the first new engine test cell to be built in the U.S. in more than
20 years and expanded engine shop space.
"The addition of geared-turbofan technical knowledge at Delta
TechOps will not only be applied to the 200 engines that will power
Delta's A321neo fleet, but will also uniquely position TechOps as
an MRO leader in this space as future engine types are developed,"
West said.
"We couldn't be more proud of our long standing relationship
with Delta, which dates back to the 1930s," said Pratt &
Whitney President Robert Leduc.
"Fast forward nearly 90 years, and the GTF engine has
revolutionized aviation technology, and will provide Delta with
proven performance and environmental benefits. We are honored to
power and support Delta's new fleet of A321neo aircraft well into
the future."
Continued meaningful investments in customer
experience
This order is the latest among several Delta initiatives
supporting its multi-billion dollar investment in the customer
experience. On the ground, Delta is participating in more than
$12 billion in airport infrastructure
projects during the next decade in Atlanta, Los
Angeles, New York-LaGuardia, Salt
Lake City and Seattle. In
the air, an ongoing cabin modernization program continues on
existing aircraft featuring new seats, seatback entertainment
systems with free entertainment, free mobile messaging,
high-capacity overhead bins, access to Wi-Fi on nearly all
flights, free Main Cabin meals on select flights,
upgraded Main Cabin snacks, an Alessi-designed
collection of service ware, Westin Heavenly In-Flight Bedding
in Delta One, chef-curated meals paired with wines hand selected by
Master Sommelier Andrea Robinson, noise-canceling LSTN
headphones and more.
About Delta TechOps
Delta TechOps is the largest
airline maintenance, repair and overhaul provider in North America. In addition to supplying
maintenance and engineering support for Delta's fleet of more than
800 aircraft, Delta TechOps supports more than 150 other aviation
and airline customers around the world. Delta's MRO Services is the
aftermarket arm of Delta TechOps. Delta TechOps performs over 200
aircraft checks per year, overhauls over 700 engines per year, and
repairs/overhauls over 250,000 components per year for Delta,
SkyTeam Alliance partners and MRO's third party customers. Delta
TechOps employs more than 10,000 maintenance professionals and is
one of the world's most-experienced providers with more than 90
years of aviation experience.
About Delta Air Lines
Delta Air Lines serves more than
180 million customers each year. In 2017, Delta was named to
Fortune's top 50 Most Admired Companies in addition to being named
the most admired airline for the sixth time in seven years.
Additionally, Delta has ranked No.1 in the Business Travel News
Annual Airline survey for an unprecedented seven consecutive years.
With an industry-leading global network, Delta and the Delta
Connection carriers offer service to 306 destinations in 52
countries on six continents. Headquartered in Atlanta, Delta employs more than 80,000
employees worldwide and operates a mainline fleet of more than 800
aircraft. The airline is a founding member of the SkyTeam global
alliance and participates in the industry's leading
transatlantic joint venture with Air France-KLM and Alitalia
as well as a joint venture with Virgin Atlantic. Including its
worldwide alliance partners, Delta offers customers more than
15,000 daily flights, with key hubs and markets including
Amsterdam, Atlanta, Boston, Detroit, Los
Angeles, Mexico City,
Minneapolis/St. Paul, New York-JFK
and LaGuardia, London-Heathrow, Paris-Charles de Gaulle, Salt Lake City, São Paulo, Seattle, Seoul, and Tokyo-Narita.
Delta has invested billions of dollars in airport facilities,
global products and services, and technology to enhance the
customer experience in the air and on the ground. Additional
information is available on the Delta News Hub, as well as
delta.com, Twitter @DeltaNewsHub, Google.com/+Delta, and
Facebook.com/delta.
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SOURCE Delta Air Lines