Delta Air Lines Inc.'s first stretched-out Airbus A321 passenger jet landed in the U.S. for the first time at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport Thursday night.
Atlanta-based Delta (NYSE: DAL) took delivery of the European-made twin-engine jet at the Hamburg, Germany, Airbus factory Wednesday, where the airline and manufacturer inspected and tested the aircraft. Minneapolis lead technician Doug Selby inspected the aircraft from nose to tail, Delta says, and both of the plane's pilots are based in Minneapolis.
Because the narrow-body passenger jet isn't usually used for long-haul flights across the Atlantic, the aircraft's first flight as Delta Ship 3001 (tail No. N301DN) took it from Hamburg to Reykjavik, Iceland, then Goose Bay, Canada, and to Minneapolis, where it is landed as Delta Flight 9970 around 8 p.m.
It will later fly to Atlanta, where starting in May it is scheduled for regular service between Atlanta and Florida airports in Orlando, Ft. Lauderdale, Jacksonville, Tampa and Ft. Myers.
Delta is buying 45 of the Airbus A321 jets, which are a stretched version of the A320 family. Each will fly to Minneapolis to prepare them for passenger service.
The 146-foot-long Delta A321 jets will seat 192 passengers: 20 in first class, 23 in economy comfort and 149 in economy. The planes will have in-flight wireless internet, power outlets at every seat and on-demand and live satellite TV.
The cabin has pivoting high-capacity overhead bins and full-spectrum ambient lighting
The planes can fly up to 3,000 nautical miles with fuel efficient features such as winglets on the ends of the wings. Delta plans to use the A321s to replace older, less efficient aircraft used for domestic flights.
Delta flies the bigger Airbus A330 in and out of Minneapolis for service to Paris, London, Amsterdam and Tokyo. Delta is the dominant carrier at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport and the second-busiest airline in the U.S.
