Defined Benefit (Pension) · DOL Form 5500 · 2023

Delta Air Lines, Inc. Pension Plan

Data updated 2026-08-25

$4.5B
Total assets Very large vs avg
1,483
Participants Near avg headcount
100th
Percentile by assets National rank
$3.0M
Avg per participant High balance/head
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Official DOL plan name: Northwest Airlines Pension Plan for Pilot Employees · Sponsored by Delta Air Lines, Inc. · Georgia · Transportation & Warehousing

$4.5B in assets, 1,483 participants

Delta Air Lines, Inc.'s Northwest Airlines Pension Plan for Pilot Employees reported $4.5B in total assets and 1,483 participants in its 2023 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.

  • #3,340 in Transportation & Warehousing (3,362 peers)

Where Northwest Airlines Pension Plan for Pilot Employees sits by assets

Northwest Airlines Pension Plan for Pilot Employees sits among the largest 1% of all filed plans, $4.5B for 1,483 participants (~$3.0M/participant), up 6.1% in 2023.

#3,340
in Transportation & Warehousing (3,362 peers)
+6.1%
assets growth YoY
45×
vs typical plan assets (national mean)

Northwest Airlines Pension Plan for Pilot Employees's outsized position by total assets

Northwest Airlines Pension Plan for Pilot Employees vs every filed plan by assets

End-of-year total assets · plan year 2023 · DOL Form 5500

$4,520,470,228 Highest reported value at or above every one of 127,068 filed plans

This plan $0 $2,050,000,000 every filed plan with reported assets, bucketed by value

Dashed line + filled bar = this entry, among filed plans.

Source U.S. Department of Labor Form 5500 filings (EBSA) · plan year 2023

Northwest Airlines Pension Plan for Pilot Employees's large-plan peer group by participant headcount

Plan-year 2023 Form 5500 filings with a reported participant count, partitioned by headcount band, not by assets. Northwest Airlines Pension Plan for Pilot Employees lands in the large band (1,483 participants).

What changed between DOL Form 5500 filings

plan year 2022 → plan year 2023

  • Northwest Airlines Pension Plan for Pilot Employees reported net income rose from -$141M in the plan year 2022 filing to $262M in the plan year 2023 filing.
  • Northwest Airlines Pension Plan for Pilot Employees end-of-year assets rose from $4.3B in the plan year 2022 filing to $4.5B in the plan year 2023 filing.
  • Northwest Airlines Pension Plan for Pilot Employees reported participants fell from 1,560 in the plan year 2022 filing to 1,483 in the plan year 2023 filing.

See the national 2022→2023 release diff →

EBSA filing schedule strip

Filing strip 580218548 · Delta Air Lines, Inc. PY 2023 · Defined Benefit (Pension)

Northwest Airlines Pension Plan for Pilot Employees · $4.5B · 1,483 · 100th

  • BOOK $4.5B
  • VS-ST 1,483
  • BOY 100th
  • SCH Defined Benefit (Pension)
  • EBSA near Producer-Writers Guild of America Pension Plan
  • PART ind #3340

Stamps derive from this plan's Form 5500 line items (assets, participants, type, EIN, cohort placement) - not a quality rating of the sponsor. Read with Transportation & Warehousing retirement plans → · Plans in Georgia →

Northwest Airlines Pension Plan for Pilot Employees in the asset neighbourhood

Hp Inc. Pension Plan$4.6BGeneral Dynamics Retirement Plan (Electric Boat)General Dynamics Retirement …$4.5BNorthwest Airlines Pension Plan for Pilot EmployeesNorthwest Airlines Pension P…$4.5BProducer-Writers Guild of America Pension PlanProducer-Writers Guild of Am…$4.5BNational Automatic Sprinkler Industry Pension FundNational Automatic Sprinkler…$4.5B
End-of-year total assets ($B) among Northwest Airlines Pension Plan for Pilot Employees and nearest nationwide Defined Benefit (Pension) peers. Source: DOL Form 5500 plan year 2023.

Scale-class filing particulars (2023)

Total Assets (Beginning of Year)$4.3B
Net Assets (End of Year)$4.5B
Net Income$262M
Employer EIN580218548
Plan Effective Date1956-04-01
Filing StatusFILING RECEIVED

Sponsor Plan History (Delta Air Lines, Inc.)

Sponsor-wide plan assets over time

All Delta Air Lines, Inc. plans reported in each filing year

Latest sponsor-wide plan assets
$51.4B 27.83790401128044% vs 2022
2024 filing year
$35B$40B$45B$50B$55B 202220232024 $40.2B $51.4B ▲ +27.8%
Year Plans Participants Total Assets
2022 11 112,289 $40.2B
2023 12 136,516 $46.0B
2024 12 145,368 $51.4B

Nearby Defined Benefit (Pension) Plans in Georgia

Peer Defined Benefit (Pension) plans, same state, same plan type, ranked by total assets.

Northwest Airlines Pension Plan for Pilot Employees vs. nearby Defined Benefit (Pension) plans in Georgia, assets vs. participants Scatter plot of 6 data points. -50000050000100000150000200000 05101520 Total assets ($B) Participants Northwest Airlines Pension Plan for Pilot Employees, Total assets ($B): 4.520470228 · Participants: 1483Northwest Airlines Pension Plan for Pilot EmployeesThe Southern Company Pension Plan, Total assets ($B): 15.596954837 · Participants: 25241The Southern Company Pension PlanUPS/Ibt Full-Time Employee Pension Plan, Total assets ($B): 12.285105757 · Participants: 70241UPS/Ibt Full-Time Employee Pension PlanUPS Pension Plan, Total assets ($B): 9.733665646 · Participants: 153217UPS Pension PlanCox Enterprises, Inc. Pension Plan, Total assets ($B): 7.396009274 · Participants: 24023Cox Enterprises, Inc. Pension PlanDelta Retirement Plan, Total assets ($B): 7.309889555 · Participants: 15601Delta Retirement Plan
Northwest Airlines Pension Plan for Pilot Employees vs. nearby Defined Benefit (Pension) plans in Georgia, assets vs. participants

Northwest Airlines Pension Plan for Pilot Employees's out-of-state Defined Benefit (Pension) peers by assets and headcount

Outside Georgia, the nearest Defined Benefit (Pension) by assets is Producer-Writers Guild of America Pension Plan in CA ($4.5B); by covered participants it is Laborers Local 57 Industrial Pension Plan in PA (1,480 participants). Same-state nearby plans are listed separately above.

Closest by plan assets

Nearest other-state filings by tot_assets_eoy ($4.5B here).

Similar participant headcount

Nearest other-state filings by covered participants (1,483 participants); asset peers above are excluded.

DOL Form 5500 plan year 2023. Asset totals can differ widely at the same headcount; neither axis is a quality rating.

Frequently Asked Questions

How did Northwest Airlines Pension Plan for Pilot Employees assets move in 2023?
Northwest Airlines Pension Plan for Pilot Employees grew at a solid clip - up 6.1% during 2023, from $4.3B to $4.5B. Reported net income was $262M.
How have Delta Air Lines, Inc. plan assets changed over time?
Across 3 plan years on file (2022-2024), Delta Air Lines, Inc.'s sponsor-wide assets grew 27.8%, from $40.2B to $51.4B.
Where does Northwest Airlines Pension Plan for Pilot Employees rank by assets among Form 5500 filers?
Northwest Airlines Pension Plan for Pilot Employees ranks in the 100th percentile by end-of-year assets among 127,072 plans that reported assets for plan year 2023 (among the largest 1% of all filed plans).
Which Defined Benefit (Pension) plans are similar in size to Northwest Airlines Pension Plan for Pilot Employees?
Among Defined Benefit (Pension) plans in other states, the closest by assets is Producer-Writers Guild of America Pension Plan in CA ($4.5B, 10,450 participants).
Which Defined Benefit (Pension) plans cover a similar participant headcount to Northwest Airlines Pension Plan for Pilot Employees?
Among Defined Benefit (Pension) plans in other states, the closest by covered participants is Laborers Local 57 Industrial Pension Plan in PA (1,480 participants, $318M in assets).