The National Basketball Association will soon have a fleet of custom-fitted aircraft for its teams. A report from Corporate Jet Investor claims the league will directly lease 13 A321neo frames from SMBC Aviation. Those planes would receive a custom interior from Comlux and be operated by Delta Air Lines.
Delta holds the contract for NBA charters today, with 11 specially-configured 757-200s serving that role. Those planes are old, however; the newest was built in 1991. And Delta is working to retire its 757 fleet. By transitioning to the A321neo the league gets a configuration customized to its needs and the airline can ensure both operational and staffing reliability for the teams.
Delta flies the NBA charter 757s today with just 72 seats on board. Presumably a similar layout will be chosen for the new planes.
It will almost certainly not be the Teague-designed “Athlete’s Plane” from a decade ago. Mostly because these are A321neos and not 787s. But also because that concept is way over the top.
Still, launching a new cabin offers the opportunity to potentially deliver flat beds for the players, even as few of their flights are redeyes where the sleep matters. Still, it is possible to fit 72 beds in an A321neo; La Compagnie fits 76 on its fleet. The planes will also offer better environmental conditions (i.e. higher humidity) in the cabin.
By leasing the aircraft the league avoids the high up-front cost of acquisition, while still enabling the custom interior configuration. It is, however, still likely more expensive than using 30+ year old planes with prior generation seats installed.
The NBA is not the only league that moves its teams on charter flights. Several NHL teams, for example, uses the special “Jetz” sub-fleet from Air Canada for their transport needs. Those planes briefly flew in regular passenger service during the height of COVID-19, when demand was low and the increased personal space on board was appealing for travelers.
The NFL works with multiple airlines for its charters, generally flying wide body planes to accommodate the larger team size and cargo needs. Some of the teams also own their own planes. The Patriots purchased a pair of 767s for its needs, for example, while the Cardinals bought an old Delta 777.
The WNBA inked a contract with Delta to move its teams via charter flights earlier this year. They use the same planes as the NBA today since the seasons don’t overlap. This could eventually lead to the WNBA using these new A321neo aircraft as well.
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