Delta Air Lines has placed an order with Boeing for 100 737-10 Max aircraft, with the option to purchase 30 more, the airline announced Monday. Deliveries are expected to begin in 2025.
Nearly one third of the aircraft’s 182 seats will be premium seating, with 20 seats in First Class, 33 in Comfort-plus and 129 in the Main Cabin, according to the carrier. The new aircraft “will be deployed in core hubs including New York, Boston, Atlanta, Detroit, Minneapolis-St. Paul, Seattle and Los Angeles,” it added.
The planes will be powered by LEAP-1B engines manufactured by CFM International, a company jointly owned by GE and Safran Aircraft Engines, and are estimated to be 20 percent to 30 percent more fuel efficient than the retiring planes the new aircraft will be replacing, according to Delta.
The 737-10 Max currently is awaiting final certification from the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration, which is expected in 2023, according to Delta. If delayed, the agreement has “adequate protection” in place, including allowing the carrier to purchase another model of the Max family.
The Boeing Max 8 and Max 9 aircraft had been grounded for about 20 months following two fatal crashes of the Max 8 in flights operated by Ethiopian and Indonesia’s Lion Air. The FAA rescinded its grounding order in November 2020, allowing U.S. carriers to resume flying the aircraft. Delta previously had been the only major U.S. carrier without a Max in its fleet or on order, according to Reuters, which estimated the deal to be worth $13.5 billion at list prices.
Delta made the announcement at the 2022 Farnborough International Airshow in the United Kingdom. Reuters initially reported in March that Delta was working on the Boeing deal, and last week reported that the carrier also was in talks to expand its purchase of Airbus A220 planes. That announcement could come Tuesday, said Reuters.
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