Responding to the impacts of the coronavirus crisis and in an attempt to simplify its fleet, Delta has announced that it plans to phase out its entire Boeing 777 fleet, consisting of eight 777-200 and ten 777-200LR, by the end of 2020.

With a crisis breathing down Delta’s neck, the company is actively accelerating its fleet modernization strategy. Last month, Delta said it is set to decommission the MD-88 and MD-90 fleets to June.

“We’re making strategic, cost-effective changes to our fleet to respond to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic while also ensuring Delta is well-positioned for the recovery on the backside of the crisis”, said Gil West, Delta’s Chief Operating Officer.

As for now, the US carrier has parked more than 650 mainline and regional aircraft to adjust capacity to the low demand.

Therefore, the retired Boeing 777 aircraft, which first joined the fleet in 1999, will be replaced with Airbus A350-900s to maintain the long-haul operations.