Delta Air Lines MD-88
Taken by Eric Sun @aviation_eric on IG
Delta Air Lines have recently announced that they are going to retire their MD88, MD90 and Boeing 777 aircraft! These aircraft were originally meant to be retired later this year but have been sped up to the next few months due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Let's begin with the MD88 and MD90 aircraft which were first to be announced. Delta Air Lines have plans to operate their last flights on the 2nd of June according to their recent schedule filing. However, this is subject to change. Delta has half of its fleet grounded due to lack of demand. Therefore, they have decided to upgrade their fleet and retire their older aircraft sooner than planned. Now, the aircraft will operate their final flights and finish their operations touching down in Atlanta. According to Routesonline, the aircraft will arrive from Hartford, Washington Dulles, Pittsburgh, Sarasota, Norfolk, Raleigh/Durham and Richmond.
The so called 'Maddogs' joined the fleet over 30 years ago. Due to these retirements, it will be the first time since the 1980s that any American carrier won't be flying these aircraft commercial operations. Economically, it makes sense to retire these older aircraft. However, from a spotter or aviation enthusiasts point of view, it is a great pity to see such iconic aircraft leave the American fleet.
Delta previously had 65 MD90s and 80 MD88s. In February, the airline has 47 MD88s and 29 MD90s still in service. The aircraft had an average age of over 20 years. Delta have been slowly retiring these aircraft, with hopes to end their operations later this year. Thankfully, this won't be the end of the Maddog era. The Boeing 717 is still operation, despite their stop in production in 2006. Delta is the largest operator of the 717. The aircraft was originally meant to be called the MD-95 but ever since Boeing acquired McDonnell Douglas in 1997, they rebranded the plane.
It is unknown what will happen to these iconic aircraft. The planes will either be scrapped or stored in an aircraft graveyard like Victorville. However, they may be leased, therefore, seeing them fly again in the future.
Moving onto the Boeing 777, Delta announced today that they are retiring this aircraft to simplify their widebody fleet to deal with the COVID-19 situation. They have announced that they will retire their entire Boeing 777 fleet of 18 aircraft by the end of the year. However, they will leave their newer and modern aircraft in their fleet. This also leaves a few complications regarding their premium economy and Delta One Suite project.
Delta’s CEO Ed Bastian told employees of the decision earlier today, stating by CNBC that: "Retiring a fleet as iconic as the 777 is not an easy decision. I know it has a direct impact on many of you who fly, crew and service these jets.”
Delta's Chief Operating Officer, Gil West, stated that: “We’re making strategic, cost-effective changes to our fleet to respond to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic while also ensuring Delta is well-positioned for the recovery on the backside of the crisis.“The 777 has been a reliable part of Delta’s success since it joined the fleet in 1999 and because of its unique operating characteristics, opened new non-stop, ultra-long-haul markets that only it could fly at that time.”
The airline has been operating both -200 and -200ER aircraft for over 20 years. Some of their 18 aircraft are over 20 years in service for the airline. The remaining aircraft are still over 10 years old, making the Boeing 777-200 series quite an old operator for the airline. From now on, Delta will focus on using their fuel efficient Airbus A350-900 aircraft which offers a 21% reduction in the fuel burn per seat comparing to the 777.
It is strange that in January 2019, the airline brought back their Boeing 777 aircraft into their fleet after a $100 million renovation plan. They were newly fitted with a four class arrangement with the best seating across all classes within the airplane. The aircraft is held accountable for holding their Delta One Suites and also their Premium Select product. The Delta One Suite are famously known for their connection between Australia and the US. It is also considered one of the best business classes in the world. All the 18 aircraft were refitted by the end of 2019. They offered a range of destinations to Tokyo, Seoul, Sydney and Paris. The retirement is not only a sad thing for aviation enthusiasts, it also means that there will be a decrease in number of premium economy and Delta One Suites in their fleet. It is very strange to see this cease since the project only opened up a year ago.
According to their press release, the airline is also burning through $50 million a day. This looks to turn into $0 by the end of the year. They have also been refunding their cancelled flights which has amounted to $1.2 billion.
Overall, it is a sad day for aviation enthusiast to see such iconic aircraft leave the skies. Hopefully, they will return again through leasing in the future.
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