BRIEF-Delta Air says yields and demand remain strong heading into peak summer - Conf call
April 12 Delta Air Lines Inc
* Says yields and demand remain strong as it heads into peak summer
* Says peak business demand also continues to be solid and the outlook remains strong
* Says remain on track to keep its full year CASM-Ex growth in 2-3 pct range
* Says continue to expect margins to expand in 2H compared to prior year on a normalized basis
* Says expects 2017 margins to be roughly 150 basis points below 2016 levels, with contraction to have already taken place in Q1
* Says comfortable with capacity available in the industry today
* Says optimistic about travel for the rest of 2017; energy and banking and finance are couple of standouts sectors that are positive this year
* Says to retire remaining Boeing 747s in service through the year, and replace them with Airbus A350s
* Says to retire its oldest Boeing 767 aircraft starting this summer, and replace them with more efficient Airbus A330s; says three 767 aircraft will retier this year
* Says continues to see excess capacity in the industry in the wide-body market; says could anticipate some reductions in wide-body orders over next several years Further company coverage: