DONALD WOOD | TravelPulse.Com

Troy Warren for CNT #Travel

Delta Air Lines presented its plan on Thursday for leading the air travel industry through the next phase of recovery from the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.

During an investor meeting at the New York Stock Exchange in New York City. Delta revealed its recovery will be fueled by “an intense focus on customers, the strength of its trusted consumer brand and its values-based, people-centric culture of service.”

The airline’s senior leadership team is focused on expanding its platform to create value over the long term through competitive advantages, industry leadership, brand preference, earnings power and financial foundation.

“It’s clear that the pandemic stress-tested the people of Delta in unprecedented ways, and our competitive advantages not only endured but were strengthened throughout the crisis,” Delta CEO Ed Bastian said. “Delta is outperforming the industry, and our path forward to leading the next phase of the recovery is taking shape thanks to the incredible work of our 75,000 people worldwide.”

“As our profitability improves, we are focused on reducing debt and strategically investing to build on our leadership position,” Delta CFO Dan Janki said. “We have a compelling strategy that we believe will allow us to exceed 2019 financial performance, deliver industry-leading margins and generate significant cash to de-lever the balance sheet over the next three years.”

Earlier this week, Delta announced plans to expand its investment in partner airlines Virgin Atlantic, Aeromexico and LATAM. The airline’s total investment will be approximately $1.2 billion.

In addition, Delta named Pamela Fletcher as its new Chief Sustainability Officer in 2022.