ATLANTA – Delta Air Lines hopes that Boeing will quickly decide to develop the 797. “This aircraft offers great opportunities to us,” said CEO Ed Bastian in an interview with the Puget Sound Business Journal.

Bastian said that he would like Delta to be the launching customer of the 797. “We have made our interest known to Boeing management”. He continued: “It is now up to them to make a decision about the 797. They know how we think about it.”

Delta still has more than two hundred Boeing 757s and 767s in its fleet, and they are nearing the end of their lifespan with an average age of 21 years. According to the airline, it is therefore urgent to develop the 797.

The 797 is going to be developed as a small widebody aircraft with approximately the same size as the 767, but it will use much less fuel. The aircraft is optimized for flights of 4 to 8 hours, such as
New York – Los Angeles.

Recently Boeing announced that a final decision on the development has been postponed to 2020, so that the manufacturer has enough time to investigate whether there is sufficient demand. The 797 will probably be available from 2025.

(Image credit: © CamSim – artist impression)