Delta Air Lines Planning To Open Minneapolis–St. Paul Airbus A350 Base In Early 2027

Published Sep 18, 2026, 4:28 PM EDT Journalist – Aaron is an aviation and travel journalist with 14 years of experience in the travel and tourism industry. His background spans airport operations, aviation infrastructure, and travel consulting, having worked with global organizations across New Zealand, Europe, and North America. Combining industry expertise with firsthand travel experience across more than 52 countries and five continents, Aaron covers airlines, airports, aviation policy, and the wider travel sector. He is based in Canterbury, New Zealand. His work has been published in Simple Flying and featured by MSN, SAM CHUI Aviation & Travel, EIN News, Pakistan Defence, and Climate Depot. SkyTeam carrier Delta Air Lines is rumoured to be considering an Airbus A350 base at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport (MSP). This would see the state-of-the-art widebody aircraft, a flagship aircraft in the Atlanta-based airline's widebody fleet, potentially open up new routes and a larger network in the Upper Midwest. Minneapolis is one of Delta's largest hubs, and currently sees a large presence of the Airbus A220, A321, and A330 for both domestic and international operations. Aviation insider JonNYC posted on X that the airline is now rumoured to be considering an A350 base at the airport as well. More A350 Flights Could Be Coming To Minneapolis Credit: Omer Faruk | Shutterstock Should the rumours be true, this would see the establishment of an A350 base at Minneapolis. Currently, A350 operations at the airport are limited to repositioning of aircraft from neighbouring hubs. International long-haul destinations currently served by Delta at Minneapolis include Copenhagen, Dublin, London Heathrow, Paris Charles de Gaulle, Reykjavik, Rome, Seoul, and Tokyo Haneda, and are served by a mix of Delta widebody jets. Delta operates the A350 already on its MSP routes to Incheon International Airport (ICN), Tokyo Haneda Airport (HND), and Amsterdam Schiphol Airport (AMS) during peak seasons. The SkyTeam partner currently maintains the largest presence of any airline at Minneapolis and commands around 71% market share at the airport. In the year between June 2025 and May 2026, according to The Frequent Flyer, the airline carried more than 24.6 million passengers through the airport. Simple Flying reached out to Delta for comment on the proposal to establish an A350 base at Minneapolis; however, an airline spokesperson could not be reached immediately. A Look At Delta Operations At Minneapolis Credit: acole96 | Shutterstock With almost three-quarters of all flight operations at the airport belonging to Delta, the next closest airline is that of Sun Country Airlines, which calls Minneapolis home. The low-cost carrier operates around 11% of all flights at the airport, and in the same timeframe as Delta, carried around 3.7 million passengers. Delta is present on all top ten international and domestic routes from the airport, with the top international markets being Amsterdam, Cancun, and Paris, while domestically being Denver, Chicago, and Phoenix. A full breakdown is below, as per The Frequent Flyer: Ranking Top Domestic Routes From MSP Top International Routes From MSP 1st Denver (DEN) Amsterdam (AMS) 2nd Chicago (ORD) Cancun (CUN) 3rd Phoenix (PHX) Paris (CDG) 4th Atlanta (ATL) Toronto (YYZ) 5th Orlando (MCO) Seoul (ICN) 6th Seattle (SEA) Dublin (DUB) 7th Las Vegas (LAS) Calgary (YYC) 8th Los Angeles (LAX) Tokyo (HND) 9th Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW) London (LHR) 10th Fort Myers (RSW) Winnipeg (YWG) Since the COVID-19 Pandemic, MSP has consistently seen around 34 to 35 million overall passengers annually. Delta's now-rumoured plans to establish an A350 base at the airport could see additional long-haul international routes introduced, and the upgrade of aircraft on selected international flights. The A350 delivers around 25% better fuel efficiency when compared to older-generation aircraft. Delta's largest hubs include Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL), Minneapolis, Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport (DTW), New York JFK Airport (JFK), and Salt Lake City International Airport (SLC). The A350 Aircraft At Delta Credit: viper-zero | Shutterstock Delta operates the A350-900 as part of its widebody fleet for long-haul international routes. The aircraft is its flagship widebody aircraft, and Delta has expanded its fleet with more than 40 active aircraft and another 18 on order. The airline is also planning to expand its A350 offering, with the acquisition of 20 A350-1000. Onboard, passengers enjoy the Delta One Suite, which is a private room with full-height doors and flat-bed seats. Further down the cabin, Delta Premium Select offers passengers up to 38 inches of seat pitch and a seven-inch recline. Main Cabin includes free seatback entertainment, high-speed Wi-Fi connectivity, and USB-C and AC power ports at every seat. Delta's suggestion that it could be establishing an A350 base in Minneapolis comes as no surprise, as the airline continues to accept more A350 deliveries and deploys these aircraft on more key routes in its network.