ATLANTA — Delta Air Lines said Tuesday it will buy or lease 36 used planes to position itself for growth after the pandemic.

Delta said it expects to receive the planes by the first quarter of next year.

During the pandemic, Delta moved up the retirement of many of its older planes, including large Boeing 777s and mid-sized MD-88 and MD-90 jets.

In their place, Delta will lease seven used Airbus A350s to replace the Boeing 777s, and it will get 29 used Boeing 737-900ERs, a large version that came before the 737 Max. United Airlines last month said it will buy 270 new Boeing and Airbus jets. Delta ordered 25 new Airbus jets in April.