Delta Air Lines
TRANSPORT INFRASTRUCTURE, TRANSPORT TERMINALS AND PASSENGER CARRIERS Transportation and Aviation Studies Transportation Vehicles Aircraft Passenger Transport Companies Airlines
(Atlanta, Georgia, United States, 1924)
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2026
Delta Air Lines, which is based in Atlanta, Georgia, United States, is one of the world's largest full-service airlines in terms of revenue, fleet size, and passenger numbers. The company traces its origins to 1924, when it was established as Huff Daland Dusters, a business specialising in agricultural crop dusting. In 1928, the company was renamed Delta Air Service, and in 1929 it launched scheduled passenger services, becoming an airline operating international flights. Today, Delta Air Lines is a founding member of the SkyTeam global airline alliance, serving approximately 325 destinations in 52 countries and carrying approximately 200 million passengers annually.
Delta Air Lines operates one of the world's largest commercial aircraft fleets. Its fleet includes Airbus A220, A319, A320, A321, A330, and A350 aircraft, together with Boeing 717, 737, 757, and 767 aircraft. In 2020, Delta retired its entire Boeing 777 fleet and has continued to modernise its fleet with next-generation aircraft that offer lower fuel consumption. Employing approximately 103,000 people, Delta's primary hubs are Atlanta, Detroit, Minneapolis–Saint Paul, Salt Lake City, Seattle, Boston, Los Angeles, and New York's John F. Kennedy and LaGuardia airports.
Delta Air Lines' primary corporate strengths include operational reliability, high safety standards, and passenger service. The company ranks among North America's leading airlines in terms of on-time departure and arrival performance. It also provides digital services through the Fly Delta mobile application. Using the app, passengers can check in online, monitor their flights in real time, track their baggage, and access customer support services.
One of the key components of Delta Air Lines' corporate strategy is sustainable aviation. The company has set a long-term target of achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. It is modernising its fleet, improving operational efficiency, and investing in sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). By 2030, the company aims for sustainable aviation fuel to account for 10% of the fuel used in its flight operations. In addition, Delta is collaborating with JetZero to develop a next-generation blended-wing-body aircraft design that has the potential to reduce fuel consumption by approximately 50% compared with conventional aircraft. Reducing the company's environmental impact and advancing low-carbon technologies in the aviation industry are important components of its long-term strategy.
References
Delta Air Lines. (t.y.). About Delta. https://www.delta.com/us/en/about-delta/overview; Delta Air Lines. (t.y.). Sustainability. https://www.delta.com/us/en/about-delta/sustainability; Delta Air Lines. (2025). 2025 ESG report: Advancing progress toward our goals. https://www.delta.com/us/en/about-delta/sustainability; Delta News Hub. (2025). Delta, JetZero partner to design the future of air travel. https://news.delta.com/; Wikipedia contributors. (t.y.). Delta Air Lines. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delta_Air_Lines
