Delta Air Lines will cease operations of its highest-capacity aircraft, the 339-seat Airbus A350, on October 25, 2023. This aircraft configuration features 30 business class seats arranged in a 2-2-2 layout, along with 63 extra legroom seats in a 3-3-3 configuration, and 246 seats in the main cabin, also 3-3-3. The only other aircraft with this setup were previously operated by LATAM Airlines.
Following this date, Delta will only operate two A350-900 layouts: a 275-seater and a 306-seater. The final flight for the 339-seat version, specifically the aircraft registered as N569DZ, will take place from Amsterdam to Atlanta, a major hub for Delta that handles 79% of its flights. After its last passenger service, the aircraft will be flown to Singapore’s Paya Lebar Airport for reconfiguration into a 275-seat layout, which will be used for many of Delta’s longest routes.
The decision to retire the 339-seat A350s comes in part due to Delta’s recent retirement of the Boeing 777. Delta acquired nine Airbus A350s from LATAM, which sought to offload the aircraft during its bankruptcy proceedings in May 2020. The pandemic significantly impacted the airline industry, leading to a temporary decrease in the demand for high-capacity aircraft.
Originally, Delta’s first 339-seater entered revenue service in June 2022, and the A350-900 has been seen as Delta’s flagship model until the anticipated arrival of the A350-1000. A notable challenge for the 339-seat configuration has been its less competitive hard product, particularly the business class seats that lack direct aisle access. This factor has contributed to the decision to switch to a more premium configuration.
N569DZ will operate its final passenger service as DL72 from Atlanta to Amsterdam on October 24, 2023, arriving early the next morning. On the final day of the summer aviation schedule, it will return to Atlanta as DL73, departing Amsterdam at 10:10 and arriving in Georgia at 13:34 local time. Following this, Delta will not utilize the A350 for the DL72/DL73 route and will instead deploy the 282-seat A330-300.
As for the operational history of the 339-seat A350 since its introduction, data from Cirium indicates that a remarkable 94% of its flights were from Atlanta, in contrast to 56% for all other A350 configurations combined. The most frequent route for the 339-seater was between Atlanta and Lima, which accounted for 15% of its total operations.
The transition away from this high-capacity model marks a notable shift for Delta as it continues to refine its fleet in response to evolving passenger demands and market conditions. It remains to be seen how the adjustments to the A350 fleet will impact Delta’s long-haul operations moving forward.