Delta is the only major U.S. carrier so far not to order supersonic or eVTOL aircraft
ATLANTA- Large US carriers like American Airlines and United Airlines are placing bets on the aircraft of the future, like supersonic jets and electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft, but one carrier has not made any investments just yet, Taylor Rains reports for Business Insider.
Continue reading original article.The Military & Aerospace Electronics take:
23 Aug. 2022 -Â Last week, American Airlines announced it was inking a deal to purchase 20 of Boom Supersonic's Overture. It joined a growing list of carriers in the U.S. and abroad who have invested in either supersonic passenger craft, or electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft.
Business Insider notes that Delta has yet to take the plunge, making it the last large American airline to hold out. That's not to say Delta doesn't have its eye on the future of flying technology. Travel analyst Henry Harteveldt tells Business insider that Delta may be taking a wise position.
"There's an opportunity cost for an airline when they're buying airplanes, and it doesn't matter what type of aircraft because there's only so much money that a carrier has available to invest," he said. "Airlines want to invest wisely to get the best possible return, so I don't see any problem with Delta choosing not to order the Overture or eVTOLs."
Delta CEO Ed Bastian told Fox Business that "Until we are confident that we could actually generate a reliable return from the aircraft, that's not where we're investing," he said.
Related: Boom’s Overture supersonic airliner gains Northrop Grumman as military partner
Related: NASA Langley works to revive supersonic flight - without sonic booms
Jamie Whitney, Associate Editor
Intelligent Aerospace
