Delta Air Lines Accepts EPA Award for Use of Nontoxic Materials on Aircraft

Delta Air Lines (NYSE: DAL) today was presented an award by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Design for the Environment (DfE) program for the airline's use of PreKote, an environmentally friendly, non-chromium surface pretreatment on its aircraft.

PreKote Surface Pretreatment is a Pantheon Chemical product and replaces hazardous chemicals traditionally used to improve paint adhesion and prevent corrosion. In addition, PreKote reduces water usage by two-thirds, significantly reduces wastewater treatment and cuts process time.

“The PreKote product has resulted in better and more consistent paint adhesion, which combined with a more efficient process is a win-win for Delta TechOps ,” said Joseph McDermott, director of Base Maintenance for Delta TechOps.

The environmentally friendly product is also improving Delta’s bottom-line by putting aircraft back in the air sooner. With time improvement of eight to 10 percent, Delta estimates it will save more than $1 million annually by reducing the overall turn time for painting aircraft.

"EPA is pleased to recognize Delta Air Lines for implementing environmentally friendly practices in the pretreatment of its aircraft," said EPA Air, Pesticides and Toxics Regional Division Director Beverly Banister. "Delta's actions demonstrate their leadership in environmental stewardship."

“We are pleased to be partnering with Delta TechOps to help reduce water usage and improve their painting processes,” said Pantheon Chemical CEO, Laura Roberts. “This is an important step in the aerospace industry’s efforts to eliminate toxins in the painting of aircraft.”

The use of PreKote is part of Delta’s company-wide commitment to the environment and worker safety. Other ongoing programs include:

The airline’s carbon offset program in partnership with The Conservation Fund, a leading environmental nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting land and water resources. In 2007, Delta became the first U.S. airline to offer customers the option to contribute toward the offset of carbon emissions associated with air travel at delta.com.

A comprehensive on-board recycling program that includes recycling newspapers, snack containers, soda cans, water bottles and plastic cups. Proceeds from the expanded recycling program benefit Habitat for Humanity. Between June 2007 and April 2008, Delta diverted more than 285 tons of recyclables from landfills across the country. The program includes a total of seven cities: Atlanta, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Los Angeles, Portland, Ore., Seattle and Salt Lake City.

Fuel conservation initiatives such as weight reduction, engine refurbishment, engine washes, the addition of blended winglets, reduced Auxiliary Power Unit usage, and the implementation of continuous descent approaches and new flight planning software have improved fuel efficiency (in revenue passenger miles per gallon) by 24 percent between 2002 and 2007.

A 50 percent reduction in water consumption at the airline’s Technical Operations Center (TOC). Delta is currently installing a recycling system that will reduce TOC water consumption by 80 percent compared to 2004 usage. For its efforts to date, Delta received The Fox McCarthy Water Wise Award and recognition from the Georgia Association of Water Professionals.

The incorporation of more than 600 zero-emission, electric vehicles and ground support equipment into the airline’s fleet. Significant reductions in emissions have been achieved by converting internal combustion engines to zero-emission electric units.

The promotion of a next generation Air Traffic Control (ATC) system – both in Europe and in the U.S. – that affords more direct aircraft routing and subsequently results in the reduction of carbon emissions associated with air travel.

Delta TechOps is the largest airline MRO in North America, earning more than $375 million in revenue in 2007. Delta TechOps serves more than 100 aviation and airline customers from around the world, specializing in high-skill work such as engines, components, hangar and line maintenance. Delta TechOps employs more than 6,500 maintenance professionals and is one of the most experienced MRO providers in the world with more than seven decades of aviation expertise.

Delta Air Lines operates service to more worldwide destinations than any airline with Delta and Delta Connection flights to 305 destinations in 58 countries. Delta has added more international capacity than any major U.S. airline during the last two years and is the leader across the Atlantic with flights to 38 trans-Atlantic markets. To Latin America and the Caribbean, Delta offers more than 478 weekly flights to 58 destinations. Delta's marketing alliances also allow customers to earn and redeem SkyMiles on nearly 16,409 flights offered by SkyTeam and other partners. Delta is a founding member of SkyTeam, a global airline alliance that provides customers with extensive worldwide destinations, flights and services. Including its SkyTeam and worldwide codeshare partners, Delta offers flights to 474 worldwide destinations in 104 countries. Customers can check in for flights, print boarding passes and check flight status at delta.com.