Delta Ends High-Capacity A350 Flying

Delta is making a change to its operation, flagged by aeroroutes.com, involving the Airbus A350.

The U.S. carrier will cease operations with the high-capacity configured Airbus widebody, able to seat 339 passengers, a figure substantially higher than its other A350 jets.

Subject to change, Delta will end the A350-900s operations in this configuration on October 25, just in time for the end of the northern summer schedule.

The final flight will be between Atlanta and Amsterdam on October 25, a pushback from the previously expected axing on October 19, 2025.

Additionally, the 339-seater aircraft will operate between Atlanta and Lima from October 1 2025, through October 23 2025, on various flights.

Meanwhile, there’ll be four weekly flights between Atlanta and Rome Fiumicino until October 5 2025, with one weekly flight still also between Atlanta and Santiago de Chile through October 14 2025.

A move to axe flying with this configuration has long been in the airline’s plan. It remained a matter of how quickly Delta could move ahead with the reconfiguration plans without hindering its day-to-day operation and/or financial position.

Delta’s Unique Airbus A350s

Delta’s reliance on the Airbus A350 has grown through the years, but its reason for having such a highly dense configured A350 is not due to its own choices for seat layout, but rather because of acquisition efforts.

For Delta, the A350 comes from LATAM; many of the airline’s Airbus A350s were acquired from this major international airline as part of the plans to evolve its widebody flying.

Airlines, if the opportunity arises, will look to take advantage of the misfortunes of another carrier, and if the possibility presents itself, acquire aircraft that are relatively new for a more immediate deployment on their network.

By moving ahead with a strategy such as this carrier’s, Delta can add capacity to its network in the short term instead of strictly waiting for planes to come from Airbus, which have only been met by delays.

LATAM’s decision to axe its entire Airbus A350 fleet at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic meant Delta saw an opportunity to acquire these jets and boost its widebody fleet.

However, given that these A350s were delivered and thus configured for LATAM, there was a product mismatch, something that Delta knew would need remedying in due course.

The reconfiguration, therefore, of the Airbus A350 has been a priority to align the aircraft closer to the product present through its freshly delivered jets from the planemaker.

Why LATAM Axed The A350

Delta acquiring LATAM’s Airbus A350 product in a high-capacity configuration was all driven by the Latin American carrier’s move to axe the product.

But why did LATAM axe the A350? Much of this was driven by the financial strain the business was under, as it underwent restructuring, all the while dealing with a global pandemic.

When the business entered Chapter 11 bankruptcy in mid-2020, a decision was made to try to reduce costs and streamline operations, with the belief that simplicity would be key moving forward.

Despite being new and fresh, the A350 fleet was put on the chopping block with a focus on the development of Boeing models for future flying and complementing existing commitments.

Delta comes into the equation thanks to its previous interest in LATAM, which had resulted in the planned acquisition of a stake and thus the takeover of A350s.

In the end, though, Delta would take on Airbus A350s and elevate its widebody flying, the final reconfiguration of the remaining units, and the closing of a chapter utilising these jets as previously was.