Travel Alert: New Delta Air Lines Airbuses Could Be Seen In Australia Soon

Australia could be seeing and experiencing flying aboard new Delta Air Lines Airbus carriers soon, after the giant U.S. carrier confirmed on Friday the acquisition of 50 aircraft from the European planemaker.

The 50 long-haul carriers worth $14 billion are composed of 25 all-new model A350-900s and 25 updated A330-900neo aircraft. The A350s planes are expected for delivery beginning 2017, while the A330neos are expected on 2019. The new aircraft will replace Delta Air Lines' ageing Boeing 747 and 767 aircraft.

The long-range Airbus A350-900, powered by two fuel-efficient Rolls Royce Trent XWB engines, will be utilised on Delta's Pacific network, primarily between the U.S. and Asia routes. The widebody A330-900neo, meantime, which features the Rolls Royce Trent 7000 engine, will be deployed on medium-haul trans-Atlantic markets, including select routes connecting the U.S. West Coast and Asia. Both models are expected to yield a 20 percent operating cost savings per seat compared to the Boeing 747 and 767 aircraft it will be replacing.

The new aircraft carriers will still operate alongside Delta's existing twin-aisle fleet of B777s. in fact, the company expects 18 new B787 Dreamliners by the end of the decade.

Richard Aboulafia, an aerospace analyst at Fairfax, Virginia-based consultant Teal Group, told Bloomberg he believed Delta's purchase of the new carriers with Airbus was "a nice win" because Delta's route structure are far better off with mid-sized Airbus jets than Boeing's jumbos. In a statement, Boeing said it tried to give a best offer to Delta. "This was a long and highly competitive campaign," it said. "Boeing competed for the order with the 787-9, but we did not have enough 787 positions available in the time frame that met Delta's requirement."

It was in March when Delta asked planemakers for new aircraft proposals on a desire to retire its ageing wide-bodies. Delta had said the jumbo sets ought to be already grounded by 2017.

A major American airline, Delta Airlines and its subsidiaries service more than 15,000 flights daily on an extensive domestic and international network. It flies to 318 destinations in 58 countries on six continents. It has a joint venture with Virgin Australia.