Delta Air Lines announced yesterday in a statement its plans to resume transatlantic flights. Starting on the 21st of May, the airline will begin thrice-weekly services between Atlanta and Frankfurt as well as Detroit and London. Although the flights will mainly cater to the increased cargo demand, a few seats will also be available for customer travel.
Delta has, for a long time, been one of the leading US-based carriers. With one of the largest fleets in the world, the airline operated to around 300 destinations worldwide. However, the onset of coronavirus pandemic has caused a major setback to its plans and expansion. As a result of this, Delta has been forced to make some tough decisions.
The Atlanta-based airline had earlier said that it had been losing around $50 million a day because of grounded aircraft and an inactive workforce. Consequently, it announced yesterday that it would be retiring its entire fleet of B777s by the end of this year.
This will help the airline in adapting to the changed market demand post-coronavirus. Although the B777’s have been an integral part of its long-haul flights, the airline has a fleet of more fuel-efficient A350’s to replace these services.
Moreover, the airline had predicted that international passenger demand would not revive to the pre-existing level for at least the next few years. But on the positive side, the airline industry has seen a positive trend in demand for air cargo across the globe.
Source: Simple Flying