LONDON – Delta Air Lines is reportedly in talks with Boeing for a huge order of up to 100 737 MAX 10 in a deal that could be announced as early as next month, people familiar with the matter told Reuters.
The Atlanta-based airline is currently the only major U.S. carrier without a 737 MAX on order.
The deal would be the first order from Delta for Boeing’s narrow-body plane, and the first significant Boeing order for the carrier in a decade.
In September, Airline Weekly quoted Delta CEO Ed Bastian as hinting at the possibility of a deal with Boeing, stating that “there’s certainly a place for [the MAX] if we can figure out how to bring them in.”
Currently, Delta operates 60 Boeing 717s, 77 Boeing 737-800s, and 111 Boeing 757-200 with an average age of 22.2 years, Planespotters.net shows.
The airline needs to refresh its Boeing narrowbody fleet.
After first flying in June 2021, the MAX 10 is going through certification deadline concerns as a new safety standard on cockpit alerts takes effect at year-end.
The Boeing 737-10 MAX is a direct competitor of the Airbus A321neo for the fast-growing segment of the market just above 200 seats.
Potentially on top of the roughly 150 Airbus A321neos and A220s already on order, the 737 MAX seems to work well in replacing the aging units.
