The carrier hopes to come out of bankruptcy protection this spring

The carrier lost $1.98bn (�1bn), as against a $1.24bn loss a year ago.

Delta saw its third straight quarterly operating profit and first full-year operating profit since 2000. It said it should emerge from bankruptcy soon.

In January, Delta's creditors backed plans for the airline to remain independent, as its board rejected plans for a merger with US Airways.

"There is great momentum building towards a successful emergence from Chapter 11 this spring as a strong, healthy and independent global competitor," chief executive Gerald Grinstein said in a statement.

Late in January, Delta secured exit financing commitments from six major banks for $2.5bn, seen as a major step in fending off US Airways' intentions.

For the quarter, revenue rose 5.3% to $4.14bn, from $3.93bn in the same period a year ago.

Excluding reorganisation and other one-time items, the loss was $179m.