Delta Air Lines has converted purchase rights on 30 Airbus A321neos to a new firm order, bringing the number of the long-range narrowbodies under contract to 155, the Atlanta-based carrier said Tuesday. The deal follows a similar transaction in April, when Delta converted purchase rights on 25 A321neos to a firm order and added options on another 25 of the airplanes.
The airline expects to take delivery of its first Pratt & Whitney PW1100G-powered A321neos in the first half of 2022 and the remainder into 2027. Many will come from Airbus’s U.S. assembly plant in Mobile, Alabama, from where it has now accepted delivery of 87 Airbus jets since 2016.
Delta now operates 121 A321ceos and awaits delivery of six more. Meanwhile, it holds purchase rights on another 70 A321neos.
Although capable of flying transatlantic routes, the A321neos will replace aging airplanes in Delta’s domestic network, said the airline. Delta has chosen to equip the airplanes with a three-class, 194-seat interior, including 20 seats in first class and 42 in its Delta Comfort Plus premium economy offering.