Delta Airlines to retire its B777 aircraft
Delta Airlines to retire its B777 aircraft. The airline has accelerated the retirement of its long-haul workhorse due to the effect of the coronavirus pandemic on global travel demand. This is part of the overall plan to reduce and resize its fleet and operations.
Retirement of its aircraft
Delta Airlines has planned to retire its Boeing 777 fleet by the end of 2020 due to COVID-19 pandemic. The airline plans to simplify and modernise its fleet. The early retirement of these aircraft is part of its strategic plan.
The airline is looking long term and due to the drastic drop in demand it plans to have a smaller network, smaller fleet and operation due to reduced customer demand.
Our principal financial goal for 2020 is to reduce our cash burn to zero by the end of the year, which will mean, for the next two to three years, a smaller network, fleet and operation in response to substantially reduced customer demand.
Delta CEO Ed Bastian had said in an internal memo
He also added one of the ways to achieve this is by retiring old aircraft and modernising its current fleet. It has already accelerated the retirement of its MD-88 and MD-90 aircraft in addition to 650 aircraft currently parked.
Delta Airlines has a total of 18 B777 aircraft and is set to be replaced with more fuel efficient A330 and A350 aircraft which will be performing long-haul routes in the future.
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Delta Boeing 777
Delta Airlines received its first B777-200 and entered service in 1999. The airline operated a fleet of 10 B777-200LR which flew long distance routes such as from Los Angeles to Sydney, Atlanta to Johannesburg.
The are being replaced with A330 and A350 aircraft. The Airbus A350 aircraft is 21% more fuel efficient than the B777 aircraft.
The B777 aircraft is proving to be workers for the airline during this time operating cargo as well as repatriation flights all over the globe. Since April the airline has flown several flights from Chicago and Los Angeles to Frankfurt to deliver mail for the U.S troops abroad.
The airline has also operated several flights from U.S and Asia delivering essential medical aid in response to the coronavirus. It has also carried home several citizens from places such as Sydney, Mumbai and Manila.
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