Defined Benefit (Pension) · DOL Form 5500 · 2022
Delta Air Lines, Inc. Pension Plan
Data updated 2026-08-06
- $7.4B
- Total assets
- 15,951
- Participants
- 100th
- Percentile by assets
- $461,093
- Avg per participant
Official DOL plan name: Delta Retirement Plan · Sponsored by Delta Air Lines, Inc. · Georgia · Transportation & Warehousing
$7.4B in assets, 15,951 participants
Delta Air Lines, Inc.'s Delta Retirement Plan reported $7.4B in total assets and 15,951 participants in its 2022 DOL Form 5500 filing, ranking in the 100th percentile by assets among filed plans. Figures are as reported by the plan sponsor to the Department of Labor, not audited or endorsed by PlainRetire.
- 100th percentile by assets (of 139,258 plans)
- #3,868 in Transportation & Warehousing (3,884 peers)
Coverage in Georgia
Delta Retirement Plan covers 15,951 participants in Georgia, 14x the typical Georgia plan (state average ~1,126 per filing). Assets: $7.4B.
- $7.4B
- total plan assets (2022 EOY)
- 15,951
- covered participants
- 100th
- percentile by assets (of 139,258 plans)
- $461,093
- avg assets per participant
The plan reported a net loss of $1.2B for the year, a single-year figure driven by markets and benefit payments, not a measure of plan health.
Participants vs Georgia filers
In Georgia, the average filing covers about 1,126 participants across 3,470 plans. Delta Retirement Plan reports 15,951 participants - 14x that state average ($7.4B EOY assets).
Georgia filing particulars
| Total Assets (Beginning of Year) | $8.6B |
|---|---|
| Net Assets (End of Year) | $7.4B |
| Net Income | -$1.2B |
| Employer EIN | 580218548 |
| Plan Effective Date | 1971-02-01 |
| Filing Status | FILING RECEIVED |
Sponsor Plan History (Delta Air Lines, Inc.)
| Year | Plans | Participants | Total Assets |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 11 | 112,289 | $40.2B |
| 2023 | 12 | 136,516 | $46.0B |
| 2024 | 9 | 136,853 | $42.7B |
Nearby Defined Benefit (Pension) Plans in Georgia
Peer Defined Benefit (Pension) plans, same state, same plan type, ranked by total assets.
Delta Retirement Plan vs. nearby Defined Benefit (Pension) plans in Georgia, assets vs. participants
- UPS Retirement Plan $22.0B · 52,821
- The Southern Company Pension Plan $14.8B · 25,663
- UPS/Ibt Full-Time Employee Pension Plan $11.9B · 68,592
- UPS Pension Plan $9.6B · 151,682
- Cox Enterprises, Inc. Pension Plan $7.1B · 26,075
Scale composition for Delta Retirement Plan
Delta Retirement Plan reports $7.4B in end-of-year assets across 15,951 participants (0.063% of the $11.6T held by all Form 5500 filers in the national rollup , and 0.018% of 89,805,449 covered participants) - about $461,093 per participant (3.4x the national average assets-per-participant) . Net income for plan year 2022 was -$1.2B.
This plan identity (EIN 580218548, plan #002) has 3 Form 5500 filings on file from 2022 to 2024 , with end-of-year assets moving from $7.4B to $7.3B (-1.4%) while covered participants moved from 15,951 to 15,222 . Single-year sparse filers cannot show that trail.
| Plan year | Participants | EOY assets | Filing |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 15,951 | $7.4B | This page |
| 2023 | 15,601 | $7.3B | Open filing |
| 2024 · index core | 15,222 | $7.3B | Open filing |
The same sponsor also keeps 4 other index-core plans on PlainRetire:
- Delta 401(k) Retirement Plan (401(k), $19.0B, 89,836 participants)
- Delta 401(k) Retirement Plan for Pilots (401(k), $15.9B, 14,473 participants)
- Delta Retirement Plan (Defined Benefit (Pension), $7.3B, 15,222 participants)
- Northwest Airlines Pension Plan for Pilot Employees (Defined Benefit (Pension), $4.5B, 1,483 participants)
Similar-Sized Defined Benefit (Pension) Plans Nationally
Defined Benefit (Pension) plans in other states closest to Delta Retirement Plan by total assets, not by location.
- John Deere Pension Plan for Salaried Employees (IL) $7.3B · N/A
- Dominion Energy Pension Plan (VA) $7.3B · 12,832
- Boilermaker-Blacksmith National Pension Trust (MO) $7.5B · 31,010
- Sheet Metal Workers' National Pension Fund (VA) $7.2B · 61,068
Frequently Asked Questions
How did Delta Retirement Plan assets move in 2022? ▼
How have Delta Air Lines, Inc. plan assets changed over time? ▼
Where does Delta Retirement Plan rank by assets among Form 5500 filers? ▼
Which Defined Benefit (Pension) plans are similar in size to Delta Retirement Plan? ▼
Next read for Delta Retirement Plan
Filing takeaways
Ways to act on Delta Retirement Plan's numbers.
- By total assets, Delta Retirement Plan ranks among the largest 1% of all filed plans. See the largest plans
- Compare it side-by-side against 3 similar Defined Benefit (Pension) plans in Georgia. Compare plans
- Delta Air Lines, Inc.'s sponsor-wide assets have grown 6.2% since 2022 across 3 plan years on file. More Transportation & Warehousing plans