Delta Air Lines took delivery of its first Airbus A350-900 in July 2017, making it the North American launch customer. To date, it is still the continent's only carrier to operate the type, although that will eventually change when United Airlines takes delivery of its A350s from 2030 onwards.

Data from ch-aviation shows that Delta Air Lines' fleet currently contains 28 A350-900s, making the carrier the fifth-largest operator of the type worldwide, after Singapore Airlines (56), Qatar Airways (34), Cathay Pacific (30), and Air China (30). The US carrier's fleet of A350-900s is set to grow in the future, with a further 16 of the type on order.

The standard cabin configuration on Delta Air Lines' Airbus A350-900s can accommodate up to 206 passengers:

• 32 business class flat beds (Delta One Suites)
• 48 premium economy seats (Delta Premium Select)
• 36 extra legroom seats (Delta Comfort+)
• 190 economy class seats (Main Cabin)

A limited number of the airline's A350s have no premium economy cabin, featuring instead a more economy-heavy total capacity of 339 passengers.

Delta Air Lines deploys the Airbus A350-900 on some of the longest routes in its intercontinental network. Which are the five longest, according to data from the aviation analytics company Cirium?

5 Detroit (DTW) - Shanghai (PVG)

7,137 miles (11,486 km)

Delta Air Lines links its hub at Detroit Metropolitan Airport with Shanghai Pudong International Airport three times per week. From Shanghai, passengers are able to connect to onward destinations throughout China and the rest of Asia through the carrier's SkyTeam partner, China Eastern Airlines.

Flights from Detroit to Shanghai have a block time of 15 hours and 40 minutes, and Delta Air Lines is currently the only carrier to operate the route. Detroit Metropolitan Airport serves as the carrier's primary hub in the Northeast US for flights to Asia, with direct flights also available to Seoul (ICN) and Tokyo (HND).

4 Atlanta (ATL) - Seoul (ICN)

7,153 miles (11,512 km)

Coming in fourth place, at just 16 miles longer than Detroit - Shanghai, is Delta Air Lines' route between Atlanta and Seoul. Flights operate nine times per week, and are also scheduled to take 15 hours and 40 minutes on the outbound sector. Delta Air Lines goes head-to-head with the Korean flag carrier, Korean Air, which operates daily flights with its Boeing 747-8. These aircraft have a capacity of up to 368 passengers in a three-class configuration.

Seoul Incheon International Airport was the ninth-busiest international route from Atlanta in terms of passenger numbers in 2022, putting it ahead of the likes of Rome (FCO), Frankfurt (FRA), and São Paulo (GRU).

3 Los Angeles (LAX) - Sydney (SYD)

7,487 miles (12,049 km)

Delta Air Lines connects Los Angeles with Sydney on a daily basis, with westbound flights taking a planned 15 hours and 15 minutes. Sydney is the only Australian destination served by the carrier from Los Angeles.

On its transpacific services, the SkyTeam member faces stiff competition from American Airlines, Qantas, and United Airlines. Across all airlines, more than 764,000 passengers flew the route last year, making Los Angeles the third-busiest international destination from Sydney, after Singapore (SIN) and Auckland (AKL).

2 Atlanta (ATL) - Cape Town (CPT)

8,127 miles (13,079 km)

Delta Air Lines' second-longest Airbus A350-900 route is from Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport to Cape Town International Airport. The carrier flies this route three times per week. Eastbound block time of 14 hours and 45 minutes, while the journey back across the Atlantic to Atlanta takes a substantially longer 16 hours and 25 minutes.

Delta Air Lines is the only operator on this route, although United Airlines also connects Cape Town to its hubs in Newark (EWR) and Washington (IAD).

1 Atlanta (ATL) - Johannesburg (JNB)

8,433 miles (13,572 km)

Another Atlanta - South Africa route tops the list of Delta Air Lines' longest Airbus A350-900 flights. The carrier's service to O.R. Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg comes in at 8,433 miles long. The flight from Johannesburg to Atlanta has a scheduled block time of 17 hours, departing South Africa at 21:55 and arriving in Georgia at 08:55 the following day.

Pre-pandemic O.R. Tambo International Airport was the busiest airport in Africa, processing more than 21 million passengers in 2019. It has since lost that crown to Cairo International Airport (CAI) in Egypt.

In addition to the Airbus A350-900, Delta Air Lines has 20 A350-1000s on order, with deliveries due to begin in 2026. With a longer range than the A350-900, it remains to be seen where the carrier will deploy the aircraft and if it will open up any new, longer routes. The aircraft will be equipped with state-of-the-art Rolls-Royce Trent XWB-97 engines, giving the A350-1000 a 20% lower fuel burn per available seat mile than the older aircraft in Delta Air Lines' fleet.

Aside from the A350, the remainder of Delta Air Lines' widebody fleet is made up of the following aircraft:

• Airbus A330-200 x11
• Airbus A330-300 x31
• Airbus A330-900 x27 (with a further 12 on order)
• Boeing 767-300ER x45
• Boeing 767-400ER x21

Have you flown on one of Delta Air Lines' longest routes with the Airbus A350-900? Share your experiences by commenting below.

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  Delta Air Lines

  IATA/ICAO Code:

  DL/DAL

  Airline Type:

  Full Service Carrier

  Hub(s):

  Boston Logan International Airport, Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, Los Angeles International Airport, Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, New York JFK Airport, LaGuardia Airport, Salt Lake City International Airport, Seattle-Tacoma International Airport

  Year Founded:

  1929

  Alliance:

  SkyTeam

  CEO:

  Ed Bastian

  Country:

  United States