The decrease in the order for A350 jets made by Latam in the last Airbus order and delivery report actually involved the transfer of 10 units to Delta Air Lines, the airline confirmed.
The 10 aircraft, of the A350-900 model, appear in Airbus data as being associated with an unidentified customer, and coincided with the withdrawal of four A350-900 and six A350-1000 from Latam’s order in March.
According to Reuters, Delta has confirmed the new deal, valued at $3 billion, but said it is in negotiations with Airbus to delay deliveries by 2025 due to the current drop in passenger demand caused by the coronavirus crisis .
Like other US airlines, Delta is seeking financial assistance from the government, estimated at $5.4 billion and to be used on the payroll of thousands of employees.
Airbus customer
Until March, Delta had 233 Airbus aircraft pending delivery, including 100 units of the A321neo, 64 of the A220, 30 A330-900neo and 12 A350-900. With the inclusion of Latam’s jets, the US airline will have a total of 35 A350 jets in its fleet in the future, one of the most numerous in the advanced Airbus model.
The transfer of Latam planes is part of the joint venture between the two companies announced last year and which surprised the market. According to the terms agreed in the negotiation, Delta assumed about 20% of the share capital of the largest airline in Latin America.
