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Delta may order up to 200 jets in fleet upgrade
Thu Jan 13, 2011 6:30pm EST

* Plane makers asked to submit proposals

* Carrier seeks 100 to 200 orders, options for 200 more

* Deliveries would begin 2013 (Adds Airbus order)

ATLANTA, Jan 13 (Reuters) - Delta Air Lines Inc (DAL.N) could place firm orders for as many as 200 airplanes as it looks to replace aging aircraft, the carrier said on Thursday.

Delta said in a message on its internal employee website that it had sent proposal requests last month to several major plane makers.

The company said that it had asked for proposals to deliver 100 to 200 firm aircraft, with an option for 200 more, starting in early 2013. It said possible orders could include large, medium and small single-aisle planes to be used on U.S. routes.

Narrowbody planes are the backbone of most airline fleets and typically sell for around $80 million at list prices.

Delta said new jets could eventually replace planes such as the Airbus (EAD.PA) A320, Boeing (BA.N) 757-200 and the DC9-50, a plane made by McDonnell Douglas, which merged with Boeing in the late 1990s.

"We're now starting to plan for the long term, to ensure that we continue to maintain a flexible, cost-efficient fleet ... replace retiring airplanes and provide for domestic mainline growth," Nat Pieper, Delta vice president for fleet strategy and transactions, said in the message.

He said no decisions had been made regarding future purchases.

Airbus and Boeing are the world's largest commercial plane manufacturers, but Canada's Bombardier (BBDb.TO) has been trying to challenge them with a new "CSeries" jet projected to enter service in 2013.

This week, Airbus announced a $15.6 billion deal to sell 180 planes to Indian discount airline IndiGo. That order, the biggest in aviation history, included orders for a revamped A320 plane that would have more fuel-efficient engines.

Delta, which acquired Northwest in 2008, has more than 700 planes in its mainline fleet, which excludes feeder aircraft.

In the past year, the carrier, based in Atlanta, Georgia, has upgraded existing planes with interior improvements such as WiFi and more first-class seats. The company has also added new and used aircraft and removed some smaller regional jets and turboprops.

Zitat

ATLANTA - Die alten Muster haben langsam ausgedient: Delta Air Lines bereitet einen umfassenden Rollover ihrer Kontinentalflotte vor. Der Konzern habe im Dezember bei "mehreren Flugzeugbauern" Angebote für 100 bis 200 neue Single Aisles mit Optionen für weitere 200 Maschinen angefragt, sagte Delta Vorstandschef Richard Anderson in einem Memo an die Mitarbeiter der Fluggesellschaft. Das neue Fluggerät soll ab 2013 bei Delta in Dienst gehen.

Nach ihrer Fusion mit Northwest Airlines im Jahr 2008 bilden 177 Boeing 757 und 126 teils in die Jahre gekommene Airbus A319 und A320 das Rückgrat im Inlandsverkehr des Airlineriesen. Neben diesen Flugzeuge setzt Delta DC-9-50 und MD-88/90 Flugzeuge im Inland ein. Die DC-9-50 in der Delta-Flotte stammen noch aus den 1970er Jahren.

Die neue Flotte soll es dem Konzern ermöglichen, "altes Fluggerät zu ersetzen und in moderatem Umfang zu wachsen", sagte Anderson. Eine Aufteilung des Auftrags unter mehreren Flugzeugherstellern gilt als wahrscheinlich: Delta kündigte an, Single Aisles mit unterschiedlicher Passagierkapazität zu ordern.

Der Konzern hat 2010 damit begonnen, seine Strategie im Kontinentalverkehr neu auszurichten. Anderson will künftig wieder mehr Zubringerstrecken zu den Delta-Hubs in Minneapolis und Atlanta mit eigenen Flügen bedienen. Im Sommer trennte sich Delta bereits von ihren Regionaltöchtern Mesaba und Compass, die allerdings mit langen Übergangsfristen zunächst weiter für Delta fliegen werden.