As of January 2025[update], the Delta Air Lines fleet consists of 985 mainline aircraft, making it the second largest commercial airline fleet in the world, after United Airlines.[1][2][3] Delta Air Lines operates a fleet manufactured by Airbus and Boeing.[4]
Delta operates the world's largest fleets of the Airbus A220, Boeing 717, and Boeing 757, the largest passenger fleet of the Boeing 767, and the largest Airbus A330 fleet of any US airline.
Delta has historically preferred purchasing or leasing used aircraft or using older-generation models to keep initial acquisition costs down. To support this business model, Delta has also invested in an extensive MRO (maintenance, repair, and overhaul) organization called TechOps. However, Delta has acquired lower-priced newer aircraft via discounts on slower-selling models and as aircraft manufacturers transition to newer designs. As a result, as of 2023,[update] Delta flies the second-oldest fleet among the legacy carriers, and the average fleet age has been reduced to 15.3 years.[5][6]
Before its 2008 merger with Northwest Airlines, Delta's fleet was made up solely of American manufacturers' aircraft (except the Airbus A310, which was acquired from the collapsed Pan American World Airways). Aircraft from overseas manufacturers like Airbus joined the fleet after the merger with Northwest, and more have since been added.