Delta to buy 20 Airbus A350-1000 widebody planes

By Rajesh Kumar Singh

CHICAGO (Reuters) - Delta Air Lines on Friday unveiled a deal with Airbus to buy 20 A350-1000 widebody aircraft, in a deal that is likely to make it the first U.S. carrier to operate the model.

Deliveries of the jets are scheduled to begin in 2026, the company said, adding it had options for a further 20 planes. The order plans were reported by Reuters on Monday.

The long-range A350-1000 can comfortably accommodate 350 to 410 passengers and has a large amount of space for premium cabins, according to the European planemaker.

Delta has positioned itself as a premium airline and seeks to attract travelers who are willing to pay for something other than just a seat. Its revenue from premium cabins has been outpacing those from low-cost seats since the pandemic.

While the Atlanta-based carrier placed an order for 100 Boeing 737 MAX 10 jets in 2022, it has primarily been an Airbus customer.

At the end of September, the company had 65 Airbus A330 and 28 A350-900 widebodies, with commitments to purchase another 16 each.

The twin-aisle jets are expected to help the company to grow its network in the Asia-Pacific region, which has lagged behind the U.S. and Europe in a global travel demand recovery after the pandemic.

Delta also announced a service agreement with Rolls-Royce to service Trent XWB-97 engines that power A350-1000 jets.

United Airlines is the only other U.S. carrier to have ordered the A350 so far, in its case 45 of the smaller A350-900s. However, none have yet been delivered.

Current A350-1000 operators globally include British Airways, Qatar Airways and Hong Kong's Cathay Pacific Airways.

(Reporting by Rajesh Kumar Singh; Editing by Jamie Freed)