Delta’s A350 Coming To Sydney And Johannesburg Flights, Replacing 777 During COVID-19 Restructure

Further improvements to the Airbus A350 will let Delta Air Lines deploy the racoon mask jet on its long flights to Sydney and Johannesburg.

Delta’s A350 brings a double benefit. It can carry more passengers and cargo at a lower cost than the 777 it replaces.

The change is partially prompted by Delta retiring its 777s in response to smaller demand after COVID-19. But Delta’s future A350 fleet will be more capable than the A350 it first received almost three years ago.

“Enhancements to the A350 now allow it to operate key long-haul markets (Sydney and Johannesburg) at a lower operating cost than the 777,” Delta management wrote to pilots this week. The A350 burns 21% less fuel per seat than the 777, Delta said.

Johannesburg and Sydney flights are suspended and Delta has not said when they will resume.

Delta is not receiving the larger A350-1000. Its 26 A350 purchase commitments are for the A350-900 series, but within the -900 are multiple weight variants corresponding to different performance parameters.

The baseline A350-900 now has a maximum take-off weight of 280 tonnes, incorporating structural improvements and larger winglets. It was not available when Delta received its first A350 in summer 2017.

Even in mid-2018 Delta was receiving 275t variants, regulatory filings show. Since then Delta has grown its A350 fleet to 13 by taking two further A350s, although their weight variant is undisclosed.

A350-900s with higher take-off weights will give Delta improved range and payload to Johannesburg and Sydney, as the Delta memo suggests. Atlanta-Johannesburg is Delta’s longest flight (8,439 miles) while Los Angeles-Sydney is its fourth-largest (7,488 miles).

The 777-200 Delta flew to Sydney and Johannesburg seats 288 versus the A350-900’s 306. The A350 has four more business class seats, the same number of premium economy seats, and 14 more economy seats.

The A350 has 9% more cargo volume with loading dependent on variable payload conditions. But the benefits come with capital acquisition cost. Delta already owns its 777s but is looking to reduce its fleet size.

Other airlines are already benefitting from the A350-900’s improvements. Philippine Airlines has A350s with higher take-off weights for non-stop Manila-New York service. That flight is 8,520 miles, making it longer than Delta’s Atlanta-Johannesburg based on distance without considering winds and Johannesburg’s higher elevation.

Only Singapore Airlines’ new baseline A350-900s with higher take-off weights can fly Singapore-San Francisco non-stop, in addition to -900 ULRs.

Delta is growing its A350 fleet as part of its 20% investment in LATAM. Delta agreed to take 14 A350-900s from LATAM comprising four aircraft already in service and 10 due for delivery. Delta also has 32 A330-900neo purchase commitments.