Delta Air Lines is targeting revenue growth of between 5% and 7% for the first quarter of this year, following a record performance in 2025.
The US carrier reported pre-tax profits of $6.2bn for 2025, with full year revenues up by 2.3% to a record $58.3bn. The annual performance was driven by a very strong showing in the final three months of the year.
“The Delta team delivered a strong close to our Centennial year, demonstrating the differentiation and durability we’ve built. Our industry-leading performance delivered for our customers and our employees, while creating value for our owners, consistent with our long-term financial framework. We generated $5 billion of pre-tax profit with a double-digit operating margin and record free cash flow of $4.6 billion, all while navigating a challenging environment. These results would not be possible without the exceptional efforts of our people and I look forward to celebrating our team next month with $1.3 billion of well-earned profit sharing,” said Ed Bastian, Delta’s chief executive.
“2026 is off to a strong start with top-line growth accelerating on consumer and corporate demand. For the full year, we expect to deliver margin expansion and earnings growth of 20 percent year-over-year.”
“Delta generated record revenue of $58.3 billion while sustaining a unit revenue premium relative to the industry of nearly 115 percent. High-margin, diversified revenue streams grew high-single digits over prior year and reached 60 percent of total revenue, reflecting the power of Delta’s brand, growing demand for our premium products and the success of our integrated commercial and customer strategy,” said Glen Hauenstein, Delta’s president.
“Since the start of this year, cash sales trends have accelerated on top of last year’s strong performance, with momentum across the booking curve and all geographies. We expect March quarter revenue to grow 5 percent to 7 percent year-over-year, several points ahead of capacity growth.”
