FLEET - Delta expects MAX 10 deliveries to be delayed until 2027

Delta Air Lines (DL, Atlanta Hartsfield Jackson) expects deliveries of its B737-10s may be delayed until 2027, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Ed Bastian told Bloomberg.

“We were already anticipating [that] if it came in ‘25, it’d be late in the year. My guess is it will be another year or two beyond that,” Bastian said during an interview on Sunday.

In 2022, Delta Air Lines placed an order for 100 B737-10s, with options for 30 more. According to its latest FY2023 filing, the company expected to start taking deliveries of the model in 2025, receiving 20 that year, 20 more in 2026, and the remaining 60 after 2026.

Boeing is currently facing a criminal investigation by the United States Department of Justice after a January mid-air door blowout on an Alaska Airlines B737-9, and is working on a comprehensive action plan to address its systemic quality-control issues. Both the B737-10 and the B737-7 programs remain idle, while airlines such as Southwest Airlines and United Airlines, expect further delays in their respective deliveries. The US manufacturer is also in talks to reacquire Spirit AeroSystems.

Ed Bastian added that there are several issues with the B737 MAX that need to be addressed, and the company is “comfortable” with the negotiated protections it has against possible delays in its contract.

ch-aviation has reached out to Boeing for comment. It declined to comment.

Boeing has gained orders for a total of 1,176 B737-10, the ch-aviation fleets module shows. As of March 2024, a total of 20 carriers globally are expected to add the model to their fleets, with United Airlines leading the way with 275 on order.

CH Aviation

Photo:Duncan Stewart