Spotted: Delta’s centenary-liveried A321neo begins ground tests in  Hamburg

Throughout 2025, Atlanta-based Delta Air Lines will be celebrating its centenary year, marking 100 years since the company’s first incarnation, Huff Daland Crop Dusters Inc. first took to the air in Macon, Georgia in 1925. One way in which the carrier is marking its milestone year is with a special centenary livery to be worn by two of its Airbus aircraft.  

One of the aircraft chosen for this auspicious task is Airbus A321neo N589DT which is currently being prepared for delivery to the carrier at the Airbus final assembly plant in Hamburg, Germany. On Wednesday, February 5, 2025, and still wearing its test registration of D-AZAI, the aircraft finally emerged from the hangar at Hamburg-Finkenwerder Airport (XFW) to begin engine runs and ground testing before its first flight which is expected in the coming days.

The appearance of the aircraft gave those present their first proper opportunity to assess the special external color scheme. While the livery employs various elements of the current Delta Air Lines livery in its design, it is also unmistakenly different, with significant use of the color silver to ensure the aircraft will stand out from its sisterships.

Dirk GrotheExamining photos posted online, the livery incorporates midnight blue and metallic royal blue rear fuselage bands, highlighted in silver, which sweep up the tail. On the vertical stabilizer itself, the iconic Delta ‘widget’ logo remains, although depicted in silver rather than the usual red hues. The mid-fuselage area features similar colored bands, facing rearwards toward the tail.

Further forward, small company titles appear above the forwardmost cabin windows accompanied by the standard Delta widget logo. However, across the forward fuselage section, large ‘100 Years’ titles appear, dissected by a large Delta silver widget. The engine cowlings are finished in the same midnight blue color as the tail section.  

Dirk GrotheAccording to the airline, N589DT is due to be delivered to the carrier in March 2025 as the company marks the 100th anniversary of its first commercial service.  It is understood that the A321neo is to be joined in marking the occasion by a factory-fresh A350-900 that is also due to be delivered to the carrier in the first quarter of 2025.

As well as the introduction of the two aircraft wearing the special centenary livery, Delta will also be introducing an innovative cabin design refresh on its 122-strong fleet of narrowbody 757 aircraft, used for US domestic and short-haul international routes. The interior modernization program will subsequently extend to the widebody Airbus A350 fleet later in 2025, to introduce the new design across different aircraft types.

Dirk GrotheDelta recently used the CES 2025 event held in the Las Vegas SPHERE between January 7 and 10, 2025, to launch its centenary year of celebrations, where the company transformed the vast arena located in downtown Las Vegas into a 360-degree, world designed to represent the airline’s many destinations.

Additionally, a specially created animation featured five airplanes representing the evolution of aviation over Delta’s 100-year history. Inside the Sphere, event attendees were able to explore an interactive, pre-show exhibit designed to celebrate Delta’s 100-year history. Delta Air Lines currently operates 1007 commercial aircraft with a further 202 on order.

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