Delta Air Lines has introduced the first of 33 used Boeing 737s it recently purchased. The aircraft registered N951DX is a Boeing 737-900ER previously operated by Indonesian air carrier Lion Air. These aircraft purchased by Delta are necessary to help the airline continue its scheduled operations. The airline has stated that five more aircraft will be delivered by year's end, with the remaining planes being delivered monthly until the final delivery in October 2023.

Used 737 order

Used aircraft are commonly sold between airlines. These transactions allow the carrier who purchased the brand-new airplane to recoup some of the investment it made into the aircraft before it begins to show its age and require regular part replacements. It also benefits the buyer allowing it to obtain a modern marvel for a fraction of the cost of a new airplane.

Delta Air Lines, the second-largest airline in the world, has a history of turning to the used airplane market to fulfill its capacity requirements. While it certainly orders plenty of new planes, it isn't shy about taking on well-maintained second-hand aircraft either. During the pandemic, Delta retired many of its older aircraft early as they were seen as an unjustifiable cost. Since demand has returned following the pandemic, the airline has struggled to maintain its flight schedules due to a lack of aircraft.

This has prompted the airline to order hundreds of aircraft from Boeing and Airbus, but these will take time to arrive. To fill the gap, Delta will operate a small fleet of used 737-900s, primarily on short to medium-haul routes out of the airline's biggest hub at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL). The airline has informed flight attendants that these aircraft will be a bit different from the other 737s it operates until the interiors can be retrofitted.

The aircraft will only feature twelve first-class seats instead of Delta's typical 20 seats. In-flight WiFi and entertainment services will also be limited to select aircraft. Come spring, the airline has assured that the planes will all feature in-flight WiFi, but the interiors are not expected to be retrofitted until 2024.

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Regional shortage

The shortage of pilots in the US is primarily hurting the regional airlines that operate smaller aircraft to smaller destinations on behalf of larger airlines such as Delta. Many regionals have been forced to suspend select regional routes without sufficient pilots to staff these operations. This has led Delta to divert many smaller airplanes, such as the Airbus A220 and Boeing 717, to service these routes. The routes being vacated by these 100-passenger jets will primarily be the routes the used 737s will fly.

Unfortunately for Delta, the used 737s will not permanently fix ongoing dilemmas; however, they will hopefully provide a suitable substitute for the back-ordered aircraft. This will help the airline maintain as many scheduled operations as possible until new aircraft can be delivered.

What do you think of Delta's use of these second hand 737s? Let us know in the comments below.

Source: Airline Weekly

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  Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport

  IATA/ICAO Code:

  ATL/KATL

  Country:

  United States

  CEO:

  Balram Bheodari

  Passenger Count :

  75,704,760 (2021)

  Runways :

  8L/26R - 2743m (9,000 ft) | 8R/26L - 3048m (9,999 ft) | 9L/27R - 3776m (12,390 ft) | 9R/27L - 2743 m (9,000 ft) | 10/28 - 2743 m (9,000 ft)

  Terminals:

  Main Terminal | Domestic Terminal