LONDON – Earlier this week saw Delta Air Lines announce its expansion from Salt Lake City Airport. Let’s take a look at the long-term extension between the two sides.
Both sides have finalized a new lease agreement, paving the way for Delta to continue its growth out of the airport.
The lease agreements have been extended to 2044 and adds a construction phase within the airport.
By 2027, Delta Air Lines will increase the gates at the airport from 55 to 66, which will allow more daily flights.
Executive Comments…
Commenting on this $2.8bn agreement was Holden Shannon, Delta Air Lines’ SVP of Corporate Real Estate:
“Salt Lake City is key to Delta’s continued success in bolstering its position as the leading global premium carrier for the region, and this lease agreement and subsequent expansion plan are a testament to that”.
“Delta’s historic SLC agreement is another important marker of our ongoing commitment to transform the travel experience on the ground and in the air.”
Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall also added to the comments from Shannon:
“I’m thrilled to see key partners like Delta deepen their roots in our incredible capital city”.
“Our strong economy, skilled workforce, and welcoming culture make it the perfect place for Delta to thrive.”
“We are ready for this investment. I’m grateful for our continued partnership and look forward to all the good we’ll do together over the next 21 years.”
Long-Term Benefits for Delta Air Lines…
Within this deal also, Delta Air Lines has the option to exercise two 5-year renewal options, which would allow the airline to operate out of Salt Lake City until as far as 2054.
Around 5,000 Delta staff are hired out of the airport, with 1,000 hired in 2022 alone, signaling the growth that the airline is having out of the airport.
Such an expansion will allow the airline to continue operating a robust schedule, with the current operation at 240 daily flights across 90 destinations globally.
Bill Wyatt, the Director of airports for Salt Lake City, had this to say about the agreement:
“This historic airport agreement not only exemplifies Delta’s ongoing commitment to Salt Lake but also affords the airport more opportunities to enhance partnerships with the airline”.
“Our passengers can look forward to more flights to more destinations in the coming years and greater connectivity worldwide. We are looking forward to the next 30 years.”
Overall…
It remains clear that Delta Air Lines’ new lease agreement out of Salt Lake City represents a continued focus on expansion out of the hubs it operates from.
Looking ahead, it’s going to be interesting to see how much further the airline aims to take operations with Salt Lake City, especially on top of the 240 daily flights they will operate in the Summer.
For now, all eyes are now on Delta to see how much further they take its operations and whether we will see similar lease agreement extensions in the future.
