With 14 flights already scheduled for January, Lagos, Nigeria is one of several routes that United States carrier Delta Air Lines will be flying to around the world with its fleet of Airbus A350s per Simple Flying monitored report.
The global routes will be served by a complement of 28 of the aircraft by the SkyTeam Alliance member, which is also expecting an additional six models to be delivered, effectively replacing the last of its Boeing 747s. The carrier received its first model of the A350s in 2017 and had become a centrepiece of its long-haul operations, per Simple Flying.
Huge in Atlanta
The majority of Delta’s Airbus Airbus A350-900 routes touch its hub at Atlanta’s Hartstfield-Jackson International Airport. The aircraft is a significant fixture on many of the carrier’s international routes and features on several key domestic corridors. Internationally, Delta will serve the following cities with an A350 from Atlanta in 2024:
- Amsterdam (AMS),
- Athens (ATH),
- Barcelona (BCN),
- Paris Charles de Gaulle (CDG),
- Dublin (DUB),
- Tokyo Haneda (HND),
- Seoul Incheon (ICN),
- Johannesburg (JNB),
- Lima (LIM),
- Madrid (MAD),
- Milan Malpensa (MXP),
- Santiago de Chile (SCL),
- Lagos (LOS) has fourteen flights in January.
Domestically, the carrier will employ the A350 on several routes from ATL throughout the year.
- Las Vegas (LAX), January – April
- Detroit (DTW), January – April
- Salt Lake City (SLC), Ten A350 flights in January and two in February.
- Los Angeles (LAX), Daily until June
A recent report by Simple Flying showed plans by Delta to introduce a third Airbus A350 cabin configuration. The new layout is set to significantly increase the premium offering at the expense of economy seats. This will help the airline maximise yields in places like Johannesburg, where the lower takeoff weight will help increase cargo capacity.
The carrier’s second configuration can be found on the A350’s acquired from LATAM, which have yet to be entirely retrofitted with new cabins.
Delta across the Pacific
The carrier flies to five destinations with the A350 from Detroit Metropolitan Airport (DTW), with a significant focus on its trans-Pacific network.
- Atlanta (ATL)
- Tokyo Haneda (HND)
- Amsterdam (AMS) – January-only
- Seoul Incheon (ICN)
- Shanghai Pudong (PVG).
Delta’s Pacific network is further boosted with additional A350 flights from Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). In addition to the previously mentioned domestic connection to Atlanta, the carrier flies to four international destinations. Los Angeles joins Atlanta with A350 service to the City of Lights at Paris (CDG). The carrier’s Shanghai (PVG) network will also be boosted when Delta resumes flights with the A350 in the summer.
Further afield, Delta’s A350s will reach Sydney International Airport (SYD) in Australia and New Zealand’s Auckland International Airport (AUK) with frequent flights throughout the year. The Auckland launch marks the first time a SkyTeam carrier has connected the two cities and comes as fellow US carrier United Airlines launches the same route.
From its hub at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport (MSP,) the airline’s only A350 route, is a daily link to Seoul Incheon (ICN).
