Summary
- Delta Air Lines had eight Boeing 777-200ERs and 10 777-200LRs.
- It accelerated their retirement in 2020 when all 18 aircraft were withdrawn.
- Its 200LRs, some of which are now flown by Air India, were replaced by the Airbus A350-900.
Delta Air Lines
acquired the Boeing 777 partly to replace its L-1011 Tristars. The carrier only had 18 777s. Some 10 were the Long-Range variant—which has always been unpopular with airlines—and the remaining eight were the standard Extended Range. The pandemic accelerated the retirement of the Triple 7, which helped with fleet modernization, greater simplicity, and better fuel consumption. Still, they were with Delta for a hefty 21 years.
Delta’s 777s: a summary
The carrier’s first two aircraft arrived in March 1999. They were registered N860DA (ship 7001; shown below) and N861DA (7002), both 777-200ERs. Delivery came just over two years after the first 200ER entered commercial service with the launch customer British Airways.
First service of the 200ER
Delta first used the Triple Seven from Atlanta to London Gatwick on May 1, 1999, long before the carrier could fly to Heathrow under the now-repealed Bermuda II agreement.
Cincinnati-Gatwick (when Cincinnati was a Delta hub) and Atlanta-Frankfurt materialized later in 1999. So many years later, the 200ER is the second most popular equipment between the US and Europe—just no longer with Delta.
Then, it was the turn of the 200LR
The last of its ERs arrived in 2002 when N867DA (ship 7008) was delivered. No more aircraft arrived until February 2008, when Delta welcomed its first 777-200LR, N701DN (ship 7101). It was about two years after the 200LR’s first flight with the maiden operator, Pakistan International.
Delta’s first revenue service on the 200LR was between Atlanta and Los Angeles on March 8, 2008. Atlanta-Tokyo Narita took off the next day, followed by JFK-Mumbai—Delta’s longest LR route, longer than Atlanta-Johannesburg.
Why was the 200LR so unpopular?
The variant was designed to be a cost-effective ultra-long-range machine, particularly compared to the gas-guzzling Airbus A340-500 quadjet (which Delta obviously did not have).
The 200LR’s very high maximum take-off weight enabled the ultra-long non-stop routes for which it was designed. It traded off passenger/freight payload for fuel capacity. Like the A340-500, its niche role meant it was always unpopular.
The USA’s only 200LR operator
Delta was the USA’s first—and only—scheduled passenger user of the 200LR, although neighbor Air Canada continues to fly the variant. By March 2010, all of Delta’s 10 200LRs—and 18 777s—had arrived. It was the joint-largest user of the variant, alongside Emirates. The A350-900 has primarily replaced Delta’s 200LRs.
The final year of operation: 2020
Delta had already planned to retire the 777. However, as with many other airlines globally, the pandemic meant it happened sooner than anticipated. All 18 aircraft were removed from its fleet between March 12 and October 31, 2020.
On October 30, DL8777 was flown from Atlanta to Los Angeles. The next day, the final flight was from JFK to Los Angeles on N701DN, Delta’s first 200LR, appropriately named Delta Spirit.
Where are the 18 aircraft now?
The following information was collated from Flightradar24, ch-aviation, and other sources. Virtually all of Delta’s fairly old ex-200ERs are stored, while some are partly scrapped.
- N860DA (200ER): Arizona Cardinals; seems to have last flown in 2023
- N861DA (200ER): stored at Roswell since 2022; Arizona Cardinals
- N862DA (200ER): stored at Marana since 2022; Wilmington Trust Company
- N863DA (200ER): stored at Marana since 2022; Wilmington Trust Company
- N864DA (200ER): stored at Marana since 2022; Arizona Cardinals
- N865DA (200ER): stored at Fort Worth since earlier in 2024; Arizona Cardinals
- N866DA (200ER): stored at Roswell since 2023; seems it will fly for the Arizona Cardinals
- N867DA (200ER): now registered N777AZ and flying for the Arizona Cardinals
- N701DN (200LR): stored at Fort Worth since 2022; DHL Holdings
- N702DN (200LR): now registered VT-AEF and flying for Air India
- N703DN (200LR): arrived in Manchester (UK) in June 2024 for freighter conversion
- N704DN (200LR): now registered VT-AEE and flying for Air India
- N705DN (200LR): stored at Fort Worth since 2022; Mammoth Freighters
- N706DN (200LR): now registered VT-AEG and flying for Air India
- N707DN (200LR): now registered VT-AEH and flying for Air India
- N708DN (200LR): now registered VT-AEI and flying for Air India
- N709DN (200LR): stored at Fort Worth since 2023; Mammoth Freighters
- N710DN (200LR): stored at Fort Worth since 2022; Mammoth Freighters