Northwest Airlines was a major United States airline which existed from 1926 until 2010, when it merged with Delta Air Lines and became part of Delta Air Lines' fleet. At the time of the merger, it had a total of 309 aircraft. It was also the last U.S. airline to have a dedicated cargo fleet and routes.

Northwest, unlike Delta, operated a mixed fleet of Boeing, McDonnell Douglas, Airbus and Bombardier. The Boeing 757 was the only type of jet common to the pre-merger fleets of both Delta and Northwest. The airline ceased operations and merged into Delta on January 31, 2010. Most of Northwest's Boeing 747 fleet was sent to Delta which had retired all of its own 747s in the 1970s.

Final fleet

As part of a major fleet renewal program, Northwest introduced a simplified new paint scheme and logo in 2003, emphasizing its callsign (NWA). The airline replaced its McDonnell Douglas DC-10 airliners with the Airbus A330. Its first Airbus A330-300, used initially for European flights, arrived on August 6, 2003. Northwest also flew the longer ranged and slightly shorter A330-200 on some trans-Pacific flights, within the Orient, and on some trans-Atlantic routes. The majority of Northwest's flights between North America and Europe were flown in Airbus A330s. (Northwest became the largest owner and flier of A330s in the world.)Northwest Airlines Becomes Largest Airbus A330 Operator In The World (Official Press Release: October 18, 2007) Northwest Airlines also possessed the youngest trans-Atlantic fleet of any North American or European airline. Northwest Airlines also began flying reconfigured Boeing 757-200 airliners on some of its European flights carrying fewer passengers. Northwest was one of only two passenger airlines in the United States to fly the Boeing 747-400, with the only other one being United Airlines. One Boeing 747-400 originally destined to fly for Northwest Airlines was sold to United Airlines which was in service until United retired its 747 fleet in 2017.

Northwest was looking for manufacturers to discuss the replacement of their 100, 110 and 125 seat McDonnell Douglas DC-9 aircraft, with an average age of 35 years.U.S. Airlines Put Off Buying New PlanesUsing Old DC-9s Pays Off for Northwest

In January 2008, Northwest advised its pilots that the airline planned to cut its fleet of 92 DC-9s to 68 by the end of 2008. Northwest stated that pilot jobs will not be reduced, as they would hire approximately 200–250 pilots by the end of 2008.Northwest Airlines To Reduce DC-9 Aircraft (USA Today: January 22, 2008) On April 23, 2008, due to soaring fuel costs from $1.85 in the first quarter of 2007 to $2.77 in the first quarter of 2008, Northwest announced that an additional 15 to 20 aircraft would be removed from its fleet by the end of 2009. The grounded aircraft included ten or so DC-9s, with the balance of the 15 to 20 being a mix of 10 Boeing 757s and 4 Airbus A320s.

The airline's average fleet age was 18.5 years by the end of 2009. The Boeing customer code for Northwest Airlines was 7x7-x51 (i.e. 747-451).

As of October 29, 2008, at the time of the merger with Delta, Northwest Airlines' fleet consisted of the following aircraft:

+ Northwest Airlines fleetAircraftIn serviceOrdersPassengersNotesJFYTotalAirbus A319-10057——16108124All were transferred to Delta Air Lines.Airbus A320-20072——16132148Airbus A330-20011—32—211243Airbus A330-30021—34—264298Boeing 747-40016—65—338403Launch customer.N661US ship 6301, the first 747-400, which had a rudder hardover and an airworthiness directive as Flight 85, is preserved at the Delta Heritage Museum.All were transferred to Delta Air Lines and later retired in 2018.Boeing 757-20045——22160182All were transferred to Delta Air Lines.Boeing 757-30016——24200224Boeing 787-8—1848—154202Orders were transferred to Delta Air Lines, but were later cancelled in 2016. Delta would go on to order 30 787-10 with 30 additional options. Deliveries are expected to arrive in 2031.McDonnell Douglas DC-9-3030——1684100All were transferred to Delta Air Lines and later retired in 2010.Never wore Delta livery.McDonnell Douglas DC-9-407——1694110All were transferred to Delta Air Lines and later retired in 2011.Never wore Delta livery.McDonnell Douglas DC-9-5034——16109125All were transferred to Delta Air Lines and later retired in 2014.Total30918

Fleet gallery

Retired fleet Northwest Airlines previously operated the following aircraft:

+ Northwest Airlines retired fleetAircraftTotalIntroducedRetiredNotesBoeing 377 Stratocruiser1019491960Boeing 707-320B519631971Boeing 707-320C3019641978Boeing 720B1719611974Boeing 727-1003619641991Boeing 727-2008219682003Boeing 747-1001219701998Boeing 747-2002419712007Convair CV-5801419861994Former Republic Airlines fleet.Curtiss C-46 Commando101942Leased from the United States Army Air Force.Douglas C-47 Skytrain2019441958Douglas C-54 Skymaster4019461961Douglas DC-3A1319391950Douglas DC-4419471961Douglas DC-6A719531963Douglas DC-6B1719541965Douglas DC-7C1719571968Douglas DC-8-32519601964Ford 5-AT TriMotor519281935Lockheed L-9 Orion319311933Lockheed L-10 Electra1519341943Lockheed L-14 Super Electra919371939Lockheed L-188C Electra1819591972Lockheed L-1049G Super Constellation419551958Martin 2-0-22519471952McDonnell Douglas DC-9-142119862005Former Republic Airlines fleet.McDonnell Douglas DC-9-158McDonnell Douglas DC-9-15RC51993McDonnell Douglas DC-10-302119912007Sold to ATA Airlines and Omni Air International.McDonnell Douglas DC-10-30ER319982006McDonnell Douglas DC-10-402219732002McDonnell Douglas MD-82919861999Former Republic Airlines fleet. One crashed as Flight 255.Sikorsky S-38319311935

NWA Fleet in 1960 + Northwest Orient Airlines fleet in 1960AircraftTotalOrdersNotesBoeing 37780Douglas DC-340Douglas DC-6A70Douglas DC-6B170Douglas DC-7C170Douglas DC-805First jet aircraft type operated by the airline.https://northwestairlineshistory.org, Timeline-1960sLockheed L-188018First turboprop aircraft type operated by the airline.https://northwestairlineshistory.org, Timeline-1960sTotal5323

Prior to 1960, Northwest operated several other types of piston powered propeller airliners including Lockheed L-10 Electra, Lockheed L-14 Super Electra, Lockheed Constellation (L-1049G model) and Martin 2-0-2 aircraft.https://northwestairlineshistory.org, Digital Archive, Aircraft

NWA Fleet in 1970 + Northwest Orient Airlines fleet in 1970AircraftTotalOrdersNotesBoeing 707-300B100Boeing 707-300C260Boeing 720B160Boeing 727-100300Boeing 727-200340Boeing 747-100015Boeing 2707006 OptionsMcDonnell Douglas DC-10-40014Total11629

NWA Fleet in 1980 + Northwest Airlines fleet in 1980AircraftTotalOrdersNotesBoeing 727-10040Boeing 727-100C120Boeing 727-200464Boeing 747-100120Boeing 747-200B111Boeing 747-200F41McDonnell Douglas DC-10-40220Total1116

NWA Fleet in 1990 + Northwest Airlines fleet in 1990AircraftTotalOrdersNotesAirbus A320-200619Airbus A330016Airbus A340020Boeing 727-10090Boeing 727-200620Boeing 747-100120Boeing 747-200B200Boeing 747-200F80Boeing 747-400102Boeing 757-2003340McDonnell Douglas DC-9-10200McDonnell Douglas DC-9-30770McDonnell Douglas DC-9-50280McDonnell Douglas DC-10-40200McDonnell Douglas MD-8280Total323105

NWA Fleet in 2000 + Northwest Airlines fleet in 2000AircraftTotalOrdersNotesAirbus A319-100125682 OptionsAirbus A320-2007012Airbus A330-300016Boeing 727-200 Adv310Boeing 747-10010Boeing 747-200B210Boeing 747-200F120Boeing 747-400140Boeing 757-2004825McDonnell Douglas DC-9-10100McDonnell Douglas DC-9-301150McDonnell Douglas DC-9-40120McDonnell Douglas DC-9-50350McDonnell Douglas DC-10-30220McDonnell Douglas DC-10-40210McDonnell Douglas MD-8280Total430127

Northwest Airlink fleet

According to the Northwest Airlines historical website, a number of regional and commuter air carriers operated service as Northwest Airlink over the years via respective code sharing agreements to include the following airlines and aircraft types:https://northwestairlineshistory.org/aircraft/, Northwest Airlink and Express airlines and aircraft chart

Big Sky Airlines - British Aerospace BAe Jetstream 31, Swearingen Metro Compass Airlines - Canadair CRJ200/CRJ440, Embraer 175 Eugene Aviation Service - Piper PA-23 Express Airlines I/II - British Aerospace BAe Jetstream 31, Canadair CRJ200/CRJ440, Saab 340 Fischer Brothers Aviation - CASA 212, Dornier 228, Short 360 Mesaba Airlines - Avro RJ85, Beechcraft 99, Canadair CRJ200/CRJ440/CRJ900, de Havilland Canada DHC-8 Dash 8, Fokker F27, Saab 340, Swearingen Metro Northeast Express Regional Airlines - de Havilland Canada DHC-8 Dash 8, Swearingen Metro Pacific Island Aviation - Short 360 Pinnacle Airlines - Canadair CRJ200/CRJ440/CRJ900, Saab 340 Precision Airlines - Beechcraft 99, Dornier 228

Northwest Cargo

As of 2006, Northwest Cargo was the largest cargo carrier among U.S. combination passenger and cargo airlines. Northwest Cargo's fleet of 15 dedicated Boeing 747 freighter aircraft flew from key cities throughout the United States and Asia and connected the carrier's cargo hub in Anchorage, Alaska, United States (Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport), facilitating the quick transfer of cargo between large cities on both sides of the Pacific. Northwest Cargo also transported freight aboard the passenger fleet of Northwest Airlines to more than 250 cities worldwide.

As of early 2008, Northwest's largest cargo client was DHL International. In December 2007, Northwest announced that DHL International would terminate its cargo agreement with the airline effective late 2008. According to NWA Chief Financial Officer Dave Davis, the loss of its largest cargo client would bring significant changes to the division.NWA weighs cargo options after DHL (The Detroit News, December 5, 2007)

Northwest Cargo served airports and routes not served by the passenger operation — the last U.S. carrier to maintain a separate fleet and route network exclusively for cargo. Such cargo-only cities on Northwest's route map included Wilmington, Ohio, and cargo only routes included Chicago, Illinois to Anchorage, Alaska.

On April 21, 2009, Delta announced they were grounding 8 of their Boeing 747-200 freighter aircraft on December 31, 2009. The last flight of a dedicated cargo aircraft was December 26, 2009. Currently, Delta maintains freight activity on some of their passenger aircraft's lower deck.

+ Northwest Cargo fleetAircraftTotalRoutesNotesBoeing 747-200F15Freight

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