Delta Air Lines on Thursday announced plans to buy 100 new 737-900ER aircraft from Boeing in a move to replace older aircraft in the carrier’s fleet over the next seven years.
Delta says the new jets — which carry a list price of $8.5 billion — will replace aging Boeing 757s and 767s and Airbus A320s. Each plane will be fitted with the new Boeing Sky Interior, which enhances the customer’s sense of spaciousness and comfort through architectural and lighting cues in the cabin.
“The 737-900ER is the perfect airplane to replace the older, less efficient airplanes in our single-aisle fleet,” said Delta President Ed Bastian. “Reliability and fuel efficiency are direct contributors to our financial performance. The 737-900ER will provide us a reliable airplane with the lowest fuel burn in our domestic fleet.”
Deliveries will begin in the second half of 2013 with 13 planes, followed by 19 aircraft annually in 2014 through 2017 and completed with 12 deliveries in 2018.