Delta Air Lines has one of the world’s largest Airbus A350 fleets and was the first North American operator of the widebody type. Known for its versatility and efficiency on long-haul routes, the A350 is a strong competitor to Boeing’s 777 and 787 Dreamliner family of aircraft. There are two variants in the A350 family — the A350-900 and A350-1000 — and Delta has commitments for both types, although currently it only operates the -900.
Delta is the only US carrier to operate the A350, with fellow majors 
American Airlines and 
United Airlines ultimately opting for Boeing’s widebody products instead. Interestingly, both American and United held orders for the A350, but would scrap or indefinitely defer these commitments. So why exactly is Delta still the only US operator of the A350 today?
Delta’s A350 Fleet: A History
According to ch-aviation, Delta has a total of 38 Airbus A350s in its fleet, all of which are the A350-900 variant. This makes Delta the fifth-largest A350 operator in the world, and its fleet will grow by another 20 aircraft once its A350-1000 orders begin to arrive. The carrier welcomed its first A350 in the summer of 2017, becoming the North American launch customer of the type.
Unlike its US rivals, Delta had opted for the European-made widebody instead of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner (though it may be back in for the 787). While the airline was flying the Boeing 777 at that point, it was also an operator of the Airbus A330, an aircraft type it inherited from its merger with Northwest Airlines. This meant a deal with Airbus made more sense compared to its rivals, so the carrier made an initial commitment for 25 A350-900s in 2014, along with an agreement for 25 A330neos announced at the same time.
Boeing had been hoping to sway the US carrier with a deal for its 787-9 Dreamliner, but ultimately lost out to its European rival. With deliveries beginning in 2017, Delta would use its brand-new A350s to phase out its aging Boeing 747-400 fleet, completing its first A350 revenue flight in October 2017. While still maintaining its mixed-fleet philosophy, Delta’s widebody fleet now has a decidedly Airbus-heavy leaning, while its narrowbody fleet is more of an even mix.
Other US Airlines And The A350
American Airlines was due to be an A350 customer before abandoning its order for the Airbus widebody, a move many in the industry have since criticized as a bad decision. With insiders suggesting American’s deal was very much in favor of the airline in terms of unit cost, the carrier’s former Chief Commercial Officer, Vasu Raja, abruptly canceled the deal, claiming the airline had no use for the A350.
American had inherited its order from US Airways following their merger in 2013. US Airways initially placed its order for 20 A350s back in 2005, which consisted of a mix of the unbuilt A350-800 and the -900 variants. After taking over the order, American initially switched all of its commitments from the -800 to the -900 before scrapping the order entirely in favor of the 787 Dreamliner.
United Airlines also planned to fly the A350 but has not taken any deliveries thus far. Its orderbook with Airbus for 45 A350-900s has not been formally canceled yet, although many believe it is only a matter of time before United officially backs out. However, recent talk from the airline’s executives could revive this deal and see the A350 flying under United’s banner after all. With the airline’s 777 fleet retirement on the distant horizon, United has said it will make a decision on its A350 order soon.
Fleet Simplification And Commonality
Other than Delta, US airlines have avoided the A350 in favor of developing a fleet of Boeing widebodies. Both American and United have a fairly even split of Boeing 777 and 787 Dreamliners in their fleets, a decision driven by the advantages of sticking with one manufacturer. Fleet simplification is ideal from an economic standpoint, allowing operators to make savings on maintenance and support, as well as pilot training costs.
This is because aircraft from the same manufacturer can overlap in terms of spare parts and maintenance expertise, lowering upkeep costs for the fleet. American Airlines flies both the 787-8 and 787-9, while United operates all three Dreamliner variants, one of the few global airlines to do so. Both of these airlines also fly the 777-200/ER and -300ER, with the two Boeing products making up their long-haul fleets.
|
Airline |
Widebody Type |
Variant |
Total in Fleet |
|---|---|---|---|
|
American Airlines |
Boeing 777 |
777-200 |
47 |
|
777-300ER |
20 |
||
|
Boeing 787 Dreamliner |
787-8 |
37 |
|
|
787-9 |
30 |
||
|
United Airlines |
Boeing 767 |
767-200 |
29 |
|
767-300 |
37 |
||
|
767-400 |
16 |
||
|
Boeing 777 |
777-200 |
74 |
|
|
777-300ER |
22 |
||
|
Boeing 787 Dreamliner |
787-8 |
12 |
|
|
787-9 |
46 |
||
|
787-10 |
21 |
Delta also had the Boeing 777 in its fleet when it ordered the A350, but only a small number of them at 18 airframes. Let’s not forget that the 787 Dreamliner program came before the A350, either. Being first to market gave the 787 Dreamliner an edge, allowing operators to get their aircraft sooner.
Would A Larger A350 Variant Work?
When shaped up next to the A350, the appeal of the Boeing 777X is its higher capacity and closer to the 777-300ER or the 747/A380 in terms of its revenue-earning potential. According to Airbus, the A350-900 can accommodate 332–352 passengers in a typical three-class configuration, while the A350-1000 bumps this up to 375–400 passengers.
If Airbus were to stretch the A350 again, it could entice airlines with an aircraft more in line with the 777X’s capacity. This is precisely the planemaker’s thinking, and it has a proposed Airbus A350-2000 in the works that its CEO says is a “natural evolution of the program.” This model would add approximately 40 more seats to the -1000s capacity, and development costs would be low due to the A350’s modular architecture.
But would any US airlines order it, other than Delta? As American and United have yet to purchase the 777X, it is feasible that a high-capacity A350 would appeal to them. However, given their heavy investment in the 787 Dreamliner, a future purchase of the 777X looks much more likely for fleet commonality reasons.
How Successful Has The A350 Been?
The A350 program was established in response to Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner, which the US planemaker launched in 2004. With Boeing attracting hundreds of orders early on, Airbus initially considered an A330 derivative but opted for a clean-sheet design following industry feedback, announcing the A350 XWB program in 2006. Since its entry to service in January 2015 with Qatar Airways, the A350 has grown into one of the most efficient and popular widebody jets on the market.
The standard variant — the A350-900 — has been the bestseller with over 1,000 orders logged, while the stretched A350-1000 has secured over 350 orders. The -1000 model came to market a few years after the -900, also debuting with Qatar Airways in early 2018. The A350 program has been a resounding financial success for Airbus, with the planemaker revealing it had broken even on the A350 back in 2019. With estimated development costs of under $4 billion, the widebody has continued to sell very well and generated billions in revenue for Airbus.
|
Airline |
A350-900 |
A350-1000 |
Total in Fleet |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Singapore Airlines |
65 |
– |
65 |
|
Qatar Airways |
34 |
24 |
58 |
|
Cathay Pacific |
30 |
18 |
48 |
|
Air France |
38 |
– |
38 |
|
Delta Air Lines |
37 |
– |
37 |
There have been around 680 Airbus A350 deliveries thus far, and Airbus has a backlog of over 750 airframes still to be delivered. However, the Boeing 787 Dreamliner has outsold the A350 with over 2,200 total orders, and new orders for the Boeing widebody continue to come in. According to Boeing, it attracted over 300 firm orders for the 787 program in 2023, while this year has seen over 250 orders.
The Future Of Delta’s Long-Haul Fleet
Delta previously had one of the most diverse long-haul fleets of any airline, but its mix is a bit more conservative in 2025. Since retiring its Boeing 777 fleet at the beginning of the pandemic, its long-haul operations are primarily handled by Airbus aircraft, which include the A330 and A350. It is due to expand its widebody fleet with the arrival of the A350-1000, of which it has an order for 20 airframes.
Interestingly, Delta had a commitment for the Boeing 787 Dreamliner at one point, inheriting an order for 18 787-8s after its merger with Northwest Airlines in 2009. Due to its diverse fleet mix at the time, Delta believed the 787 would be more trouble than good due to the complexities of operating a brand-new aircraft type. It ultimately scrapped its order in 2016, and its Airbus A350 fleet began arriving the following year.
Despite being a 777 operator in previous decades, Delta has not shown any interest in the Boeing 777X, which is slated to enter service within the next 18 months. Instead, its A350-1000 fleet will become the airline’s highest-capacity aircraft type once deliveries begin next year.
