Delta to Buy 40 More 737-900ERs and 20 Used Embraer 190s from Boeing

Delta Air Lines will buy from The Boeing Company 20 used Embraer 190s and will order 40 additional new 737-900ERs, upon ratification of a tentative new labor agreement covering more than 12,000 Delta pilots.

The tentative new Delta Air Lines pilot labor agreement was approved for membership ratification on June 11 by the Delta Master Executive Council (MEC) of the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA).

Delta Air Lines took delivery on September 30, 2013 of the first of 100 new Boeing 737-900ERs ordered directly from the manufacturer. On June 11, 2015, Delta said it planned to buy 40 more

According to Delta Air Lines, the tentative agreement provides enhancements to overall pilot compensation – including base pay increases – along with a revision of the airline’s profit-sharing formula, beginning in 2016.

Upon ratification of the agreement, Delta will acquire 20 used Embraer 190s which Boeing has agreed to purchase from Air Canada as part of the Canadian carrier’s deal to order up to 109 Boeing 737 MAX aircraft to replace the Airbus A320-family jets now in its fleet.

The 20 Embraer 190s will enter mainline Delta service in the fourth quarter of 2016, according to the Atlanta-based carrier.

Air Canada’s 200-plus-aircraft mainline fleet has included 45 Embraer 190s, but Boeing agreed to take 20 of the aircraft as part of Air Canada’s deal to order up to 109 Boeing 737 MAX jets. Delta then agreed to buy the 20 Embraer 190s from Boeing

“These 98-seat mainline aircraft will be flown by Delta pilots,” said Richard Anderson, Delta’s chief executive officer. “The capability and aptitude of all Delta people has already shown that they are the best in the business at managing a diverse fleet while keeping costs in check and never compromising safety.”

Delta said it would deploy the 20 Embraer 190s on U.S. domestic routes to continue its network shift away from flying inefficient 50-seat regional jets, as part of what Delta calls its “upgauging” strategy.

The new Boeing deal will also see Delta order 40 more new Boeing 737-900ER single-aisle jets, augmenting its existing order for 100 of the type.

Delta Air Lines is taking delivery of 140 new Boeing 737-900ERs from 2013 through 2019

Delta says plans to deploy its new Boeing 737-900ERs as replacements for other narrowbody aircraft it is scheduling to retire through 2019.

In most cases these are likely to be aging Boeing 757-200s which Delta now operates on its domestic and regional international network

Negotiating committees for Delta and ALPA reached a tentative agreement on June 4. In the ensuing days, the tentative agreement was reviewed and it was subsequently approved by the Delta MEC on June 10.