How Did Delta Air Lines awaken 570 dormant aircraft?

Monday, October 04, 2021 at 11:08 AM ET

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Delta Air Lines jets stored wing-to-wing on a runway. Delta Air Lines

Key Takeaways:

Delta Air Lines is reactivating hundreds of aircraft that were parked during the COVID-19 pandemic to meet recovering domestic travel demand.
Bringing these dormant aircraft back into service is a complex, multi-week process requiring extensive maintenance, operational system checks, and tailored plans based on storage conditions.
Key challenges included protecting aircraft from environmental factors like heat, humidity, and pests; finding suitable long-term parking; and managing intricate schedules for inspections and part reinstallation.
Delta has already returned 493 aircraft to its active fleet, with the reactivation effort expected to continue into 2022.

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Editor’s Note: This article originally appeared on FreightWaves.com.

Eric is the Air Cargo Market Editor at FreightWaves. An award-winning business journalist with extensive experience covering the logistics sector, Eric spent nearly two years as the Washington, D.C., correspondent for Automotive News, where he focused on regulatory and policy issues surrounding autonomous vehicles, mobility, fuel economy and safety. He has won two regional Gold Medals from the American Society of Business Publication Editors for government coverage and news analysis, and was voted best for feature writing and commentary in the Trade/Newsletter category by the D.C. Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists. As associate editor at American Shipper Magazine for more than a decade, he wrote about trade, freight transportation and supply chains. Eric is based in Portland, Oregon. He can be reached for comments and tips at ekulisch@freightwaves.com