36 Aging Widebodies, One 2030 Deadline: Inside Delta Air Lines’ Boeing 767-300ER Phaseout Problem

On April 10, 2026, Delta Air Lines retired N171DN, a Boeing 767-300ER that had been in service with the airline for nearly 36 years. It was delivered to Delta in June 1990, and took its first flight in April 1990, while its final revenue flight would be from San Francisco to Atlanta on April 9. It operated a non-revenue flight to Birmingham the next day, where it will eventually be parted out. Across its 36 years of service, N171DN has accumulated just over 151,000 hours and just under 23,000 cycles.