In May 2020, with air travel collapsing, Delta announced that it planned to retire its 18 widebody Boeing 777s by the end of the year. Delta's statement, as reported at the time by Runway Girl Network, called it part of a plan to simplify and modernise the fleet. Gil West, Delta's chief operating officer, was the executive quoted. A retrospective published by Simple Flying on 10 October 2026 revisits the decision.

The fleet

The 18 were two sub-types. According to the Wikipedia list of Delta's fleet, there were eight 777-200ERs and ten 777-200LRs. Delta's own 2018 release gives the same split: all eight 777-200ER and all 10 777-200LR.

They had only just been refreshed. On 2 July 2018 Delta flew its first refreshed 777-200ER from Detroit to Beijing, with 296 seats: 28 Delta One suites, 48 Delta Premium Select and 220 in the Main Cabin. That aircraft flew Detroit to Beijing on alternating days for July 2018, filling in for the A350. Delta said then that all 18 would be retrofitted by the end of 2019, so the refit programme was only meant to finish about a year before the retirement plan.

The 21% figure

The reason Delta gave for what it would keep is fuel. Delta said it would continue flying its long-haul A350-900s, which it said burn 21% less fuel per seat than the 777s they would replace. Both Runway Girl Network and Points Miles and Martinis, writing in May 2020, quote Delta's statement with that number, and Simple Flying repeats it. It is Delta's own comparison, not an independent measurement.

What I have not been able to confirm

The 2020 plan said the 777s would leave by the end of the year. Simple Flying says the fleet never returned to passenger service, but I could not match that to a second source, so I am not stating exactly when the last one flew.

The jets that followed

In January 2026 Airbus announced that Delta had ordered 31 more widebodies: 15 A350-900s and 16 A330-900s. Airbus says that once they are delivered, Delta's widebody fleet will have grown to 55 A330neo and 79 A350s.

Both types are already on my screen. On 27 September 2026 the BBBRadar desk unit caught a Delta A350-900, N568DZ, as DAL134 at 39,000 feet. A Delta A330-900, N417DX, followed as DAL16 at 9,325 feet.

Why it is worth a look

Delta's long-haul future, as its January order spells out, is built on the A350-900 and A330-900. On my radar the label reads Airbus A350-900 or Airbus A330-900 in plain text, so there is no guessing which one has just crossed.

The comparison I like is the simplest one. Six years ago the 18 777s were the question. Today the answer shows up on my desk every day, and the numbers behind it are in Delta's own statements and Airbus's release.

Sources

  • Simple Flying, "The 21% fuel gap that made Delta Air Lines retire its entire Boeing 777 fleet", 10 October 2026: https://simpleflying.com/21-percent-fuel-gap-made-delta-air-lines-retire-its-entire-boeing-777-fleet/
  • Runway Girl Network, "Press Release: Delta to retire 777s by end of 2020", May 2020: https://runwaygirlnetwork.com/2020/05/press-release-delta-to-retire-777s-by-end-of-2020/
  • Points Miles and Martinis, "Delta Air Lines Retires Entire Boeing 777 Fleet", 14 May 2020: https://pointsmilesandmartinis.boardingarea.com/2020/05/delta-retiring-boeing-777/
  • Delta (Pro), "Delta Emphasizes Customer Comfort with First Refreshed 777-200ER", 2 July 2018: https://pro.delta.com/content/agency/ca/en/news/products---services-archive/2018/july-2018/delta-emphasizes-customer-comfort-with-first-refreshed-777-200er.html
  • Airbus, "Delta Air Lines grows Airbus fleet with order for 31 additional widebody aircraft", 28 January 2026: https://www.airbus.com/en/newsroom/press-releases/2026-01-delta-air-lines-grows-airbus-fleet-with-order-for-31-additional-widebody-aircraft
  • Wikipedia, "Delta Air Lines fleet": https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delta_Air_Lines_fleet
  • Radar catches: BBBRadar desk unit, 27 September 2026