Delta Air Lines grows Airbus fleet

Delta Air Lines has placed a firm order for 31 latest generation aircraft including 16 A330-900s and 15 A350-900s. Once delivered, Delta’s widebody fleet will have grown to 55 A330neo and 79 A350s. “As we grow our international footprint and prepare our fleet to serve expanded long-haul markets, these aircraft will enhance our capabilities and elevate our premium offerings,” said Ed Bastian, Chief Executive Officer. “We value our long-standing partnership with Airbus, and with these widebody aircraft we will see additional operational efficiencies and long-term cost benefits in the years to come.” “Delta’s renewed confidence in both the A330neo and the A350 is a testament to our enduring partnership and the excellence of the Airbus widebody family performance,” said Benoît de Saint-Exupéry, Airbus EVP Sales of the Commercial Aircraft business. “These aircraft offer the range, capacity, and premium cabin experience Delta requires to grow into new markets and connect more of the world.” Delta Air Lines currently operates more than 500 Airbus aircraft from all of the Airbus product families from the A220 to the A350-900. Delta Air Lines’ current Airbus backlog is around 200 aircraft and includes the A350-1000 aircraft. Powered by the latest generation Rolls-Royce Trent 7000 engines, the A330neo is designed to fly up to 8,100 nautical miles / 15,000 kilometers non-stop and reduces fuel burn, CO2 emissions and operating cost by 25% compared to previous generation competitor aircraft. The A350 is the world’s most modern widebody aircraft, designed to fly up to 9,700 nautical miles / 18,000 kilometres non-stop, setting new standards for intercontinental travel. The aircraft includes state-of-the-art technologies and aerodynamics delivering unmatched standards of efficiency and comfort. Its latest generation Rolls-Royce engines and use of lightweight materials bring a 25 per cent advantage in fuel burn, operating costs and carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions, compared to previous generation competitor aircraft. The A330neo and A350’s unique Airspace cabin offers passengers and crews the latest modern in-flight products for a comfortable flying experience. As with all Airbus aircraft, the A330neo and the A350 are able to operate with up to 50% Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF). Airbus is targeting to have its aircraft up to 100% SAF capable by 2030. At the end of December 2025, the A350 Family had won over 1,500 orders from 67 customers and the A330 Family had won over 1,900 orders worldwide. Airbus, Hisdesat sign agreement for PAZ-2 satellite imagery (IMAGE: Airbus) Airbus Defence and Space and Hisdesat have agreed to prolong and expand their long-standing and successful collaboration in the international radar Earth observation market with the signing of an agreement to commercialise imagery and applications from the future PAZ-2 radar satellites. The agreement, formalised during the European Space Conference in Brussels (Belgium), extends the existing partnership for the commercialisation of radar imagery from the PAZ satellite in constellation with the German TerraSAR-X / TanDEM-X satellites, an alliance first established in 2018. “This partnership aims to push the boundaries of Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) based Earth observation and provide innovative solutions to meet growing global demand for both military and commercial markets,” said Eric Even, Head of Space Digital at Airbus Defence and Space. Miguel Ángel García Primo, CEO of Hisdesat, indicated that reinforcing this commercial alliance “will ensure the continuity of the excellent work carried out since 2018 between the Hisdesat and Airbus teams” and “will drive the penetration of SAR imagery—capable of performing in any weather condition—compared to other Earth observation tools.” Led by the Spanish Ministry of Defence and Hisdesat, PAZ-2 is one of the most advanced Earth observation programmes in the world. It consists of twin satellites that will replace the current PAZ satellite, in service since 2018, ensuring and enhancing the current capabilities. The PAZ-2 programme is funded by the Spanish Ministry of Industry and Tourism and will provide radar imagery and services primarily to the Spanish Ministry of Defence. In July 2025, Hisdesat awarded Airbus Defence and Space the contract for the manufacture of these two new satellites. Airbus Pléiades Neo Next satellite will be launched early 2028 Airbus will launch its first Pléiades Neo Next satellite early 2028 from the European Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana. The satellite will be launched on an Avio’s Vega C rocket. With the Pléiades Neo Next programme, Airbus is reinforcing its Earth Observation capabilities and services to remain at the forefront of geospatial technologies. This new programme will result in new satellite assets and capabilities, including 20-cm-class native resolution. “The Pléiades Neo Next programme builds on the success of our existing Pléiades Neo constellation which serves government and commercial customers around the world,” said Eric Even, Head of Space Digital at Airbus Defence and Space. “This programme will further enhance our standard of excellence in terms of quality, performance, and reliability to deliver images as well as geo-intelligence services and applications.” The Pléiades Neo Next programme is funded, manufactured, and operated by Airbus Defence and Space, with the full image capacity available for a wide range of sectors including defence and intelligence, agriculture, environment, maritime, disaster response, mapping, location-based services, civil engineering, urban planning and utilities. Users will continue to be able to directly task the Airbus satellites up to a few dozen minutes prior to the satellite over the area of interest. Images will be received through the customer’s Direct Receiving Stations (DRS) on the ground, or on the OneAtlas digital platform, swiftly after collection, allowing mission-critical applications. For Editorial Inquiries Contact: Editor Matt Driskill at [email protected] For Advertising Inquiries Contact: Head of Sales Sally Passey at [email protected]