Delta rolls out Airbus Descent Profile Optimisation across 270 aircraft

Delta equips 270 Airbus jets with DPO

In aviation, as in cycling, descent is a phase with its specialists. Airbus has announced the deployment of its Descent Profile Optimisation (DPO) solution across 270 aircraft in Delta Air Lines’ Airbus fleet. The programme covers A319, A320 and A321 jets, as well as the A330 Family. The planemaker says it is the largest deployment of this solution to date across a mixed Airbus fleet.

DPO is part of Airbus’s fuel-efficiency suite and targets the vertical descent profile to cut fuel burn significantly during the approach phase. The principle is to optimise the descent profile so the approach is more energy-efficient.

Applied at this scale across 270 aircraft in a single fleet, improving this phase of flight becomes a tangible lever for fuel savings and standardisation. To make the most of the roll-out, aircraft not originally configured for the solution were included, which required Airbus and Delta to work from operational data to extend DPO’s applicability to additional aircraft types.

With this software update, Delta is prioritising operational optimisation for an in-service fleet over buying new aircraft. The airline’s aim is to trim fuel consumption on a flight phase repeated thousands of times each year, while also extending the utility of its existing fleet without waiting for full replacement.

Airbus explicitly links the initiative to customers’ sustainability and efficiency goals. “This collaboration with Delta demonstrates what’s possible when we work closely with our customers,” said Dominik Wacht, Vice-President, Customer Services North America, at Airbus. “By adapting Descent Profile Optimisation across Delta Air Lines’ Airbus fleet, we have delivered smarter performance aligned with their fuel-efficiency goals and business priorities.”