Airbus wins Delta Air Lines order by default it seems

(Airbus)

Boeing attributes the loss of a 50-aircraft Delta Air Lines order announced on 20 November to a lack of available delivery slots.

“Boeing competed for the order with the 787-9, but we did not have enough 787 positions available in the timeframe that met Delta’s requirement,” Boeing says in a statement.

Delta instead ordered 25 Airbus A350-900s and 25 A330-900s, with deliveries beginning in 2017 for the former and 2019 for the latter.

The Flightglobal Ascend fleet database shows 132 overall 787 delivery positions claimed in 2017, leaving only 12 available production slots at planned production rates.

The same database anticipates 113 deliveries of the A350-900 in 2017.

Airbus announced the signing of the deal as a “massive endorsement” for the company’s widebody portfolio, offering two aircraft types in the same class optimised for different roles.

(Stephen Trimble - FlightGlobal News)