McDonnell Douglas MD-80

The McDonnell Douglas MD-80 and McDonnell Douglas MD-90 are twin-engine, single-aisle jet commercial aircraft derived from the DC-9. The MD-80 was first introduced in 1980 and was followed in modified forms by the MD-90 in 1989 and Boeing 717 in 1998. As of May 23, 2006, with the final two deliveries of the Boeing 717 to Midwest Airlines and AirTran Airways, production of the DC-9 aircraft family has ceased after 41 years.

Background

The MD-80 series was introduced in 1980. The design was second generation of the DC-9 with two rear fuselage-mounted Pratt & Whitney JT8D turbofan engines, small, highly efficient wings, and a T-tail. The aircraft have a distinctive 5-abreast seating in coach class. It was a lengthened DC-9-50 with a higher maximum take-off weight (MTOW) and the ability to carry more fuel. The airplane was designed for frequent, short-haul flights for approximately 140-170 passengers.

Originally it was designated as DC-9-80 and marketed as the "DC-9 Super 80". Its designation was changed to MD-80 before the initial launch as a marketing move to show that McDonnell Douglas had a new airliner for the 1980s.

The MD-90 was developed from the MD-80 series. It was launched in 1989 and first flew in 1993. The MD-90 has IAE V2500 engines and a glass cockpit as does the MD-88. The last variant of the family was the MD-95, which was renamed the Boeing 717-200 after the Boeing-McDonnell Douglas merger in 1997.

The DC-9 family is among the most rugged, longest-lasting aircraft currently in operation. Operator Northwest Airlines still operates a large fleet of DC-9 aircraft, several of which are over 30 years old. That reputation for reliability and efficiency drove strong sales well into the 2000s. The long-lived DC-9 family is one of the most successful jet airliners ever made with total sales of over 2400 units; it ranks third behind the second place Airbus A320 family with 3700 total sales, and the first place Boeing 737 with over 6000 total sales.

MD-80 series

Swiss International Air Lines MD-83 (no longer in service with the airline)

Jetsgo MD-83 at Toronto Pearson International Airport

The MD-80 entered service in 1980. It was typically known as the MD-80 or Super 80, the versions of the series were the MD-81/82/83/88 and the shortened MD-87. The MD-80 versions have cockpit, avionics and aerodynamic upgrades along with the more powerful, efficient and quieter JT8D-200 series engines, which are a significant upgrade over the smaller JT8D-15, -17, -11, and -9 series. The MD-80 series aircraft also have longer fuselages than their earlier DC-9 counterparts, as well as an increase in range. The MD-80's production ended in 1999. Notably, launch customers American Airlines and Alitalia still, as of 2006, refer to the planes in fleet documentation as "Super 80" or SP80. This model is still flown extensively by American Airlines and Delta Air Lines on domestic routes.

The MD-80's closest competitor was the Boeing 737-400.

Major customers

The MD-80 series has been very popular with major airlines around the world. Major customers include Aeroméxico, Allegiant Air, Northwest Airlines, American Airlines, Austrian Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Swissair, Alitalia, Scandinavian Airlines System (SAS), Finnair, Iberia, Japan Air System (JAS), China Eastern Airlines, Midwest Airlines, China Northern Airlines, Alaska Airlines, Korean Air, and Austral Líneas Aéreas. Many of the airlines have, however, started to retire the type in the 2000s.

In August 2006 a total of 1,064 MD-80 aircraft (all variants) were in airline service, including China Southern Airlines (23), Japan Airlines (21), Alitalia (75), Iberia Airlines (32), Scandinavian Airlines System (47), Spanair (36), Aeroméxico (32), Alaska Airlines (26), Allegiant Air (24), American Airlines (353) and Delta Air Lines (120). Some 59 other airlines operate smaller numbers of the type.

MD-90

Japan Airlines MD-90 (JA8029) taxiing

The MD-90 entered service in 1995 and was a 1.4 m longer, updated version of the MD-88 with a similar EFIS (glass) cockpit and even more powerful, quieter and fuel efficient IAE V2500 engines. After Boeing and McDonnell Douglas merged in 1997, MD-90 production ended in 2001 with the final MD-90s being built under contract in China, due to internal competition with Boeing's own 737-800.

The main competitors of the MD-90 included the Airbus A320 and the Boeing 737-800.

Major customers

The MD-90 is the least successful member of the DC-9 family. Major customers include Delta Air Lines, Saudi Arabian Airlines, Japan Air System (JAS) and Scandinavian Airlines System (SAS). Of special note is Delta Air Lines, who initially had a large order for the MD-90 to replace some aging Boeing 727s. After the Boeing-McDonnell Douglas merger, Delta cancelled their remaining MD-90 orders in favor of the Boeing 737-800.

In August 2006 a total of 110 Boeing MD-90 aircraft remain in airline service with China Eastern Airlines (9), China Southern Airlines (13), Japan Airlines (16), Lion Air (5), Saudi Arabian Airlines (29), Uni Air (11), Blue1 (2), Hello (6), Nordic Regional (2), Scandinavian Airlines System (1) and Delta Air Lines (16).

MD-95

Main article: Boeing 717

The shortened MD-95 was developed to satisfy the market need of a replacement for early DC-9 models, then approaching 30 years old. The project was a complete overhaul of the system, going back to the original DC-9 and reinventing it for modern transport. With an order from launch customer ValuJet, McDonnell Douglas proceeded on the project. The subsequent collapse of ValuJet, along with the merger of Boeing and McDonnell Douglas in 1997, put the program in jeopardy. Despite a bleak outlook, Boeing forged ahead. The MD-95 was renamed Boeing 717 and entered service in September 1999 with AirTran Airways. The aircraft is 1.45 m longer than the DC-9-30 and is powered by new Rolls-Royce BR715 engines. It shares the same modern, six-CRT EFIS cockpit design as the much larger MD-11. The Boeing 717 ended production on May 23, 2006. It was the end of production of the civilian Douglas-designed aircraft.

The MD-95 / 717-200 saw major domestic orders from Trans World Airlines, Valujet Airlines (now AirTran Airways), and Midwest Express.

Specifications

	MD-81	MD-82/-88	MD-83	MD-87	MD-90-30ER
Passengers	172 (1 class)			139 (1 class)	172 (1 class)
MTOW	140,000 lb (64,000 kg)	149,500 lb (67,800 kg)	160,000 lb (72,600 kg)	140,000 lb (64,000 kg)	166,000 lb (70,760 kg)
Range	1,570 nm (2,900 km)	2,050 nm (3,800 km)	2,500 nm (4,600 km)	2,400 nm (4,400 km)	2,750 nm (4,425 km)
Cruise speed	438 knots (504 mph, 811 km/h)
Length	147 ft 8 in (45.1 m)			130 ft 4 in (39.7 m)	152 ft 7 in (46.5 m)
Wingspan	107 ft 8 in (32.8 m)				107 ft 10 in (32.87 m)
Height	29 ft 6 in (9.05 m)			30 ft 5 in (9.3 m)	30 ft 6 in (9.4 m)
Powerplant	2× P&W JT8D-209 18,500 lbf (82.29 kN) each	2× P&W JT8D-217A/C 20,000 lbf (88.96 kN) each	2× P&W JT8D-219 21,000 lbf (93.41 kN) each	2× P&W JT8D-217C 20,000 lbf (88.96 kN) each	2× IAE V2525-D5 25,000 lbf (111.21 kN) each

Trivia

• Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport is by far the home of the highest number of McDonnell Douglas MD-80 operations in the world, and is the main hub of American Airlines, the largest MD-80 operator. Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport comes in a far second place, and is the main hub of Delta Air Lines, the second largest MD-80 operator.

• The MD-95 was created specially for SAS to replace its older DC-9 aircraft. But SAS, who was a loyal customer to McDonnell Douglas, choose the Boeing 737 instead.

External links

• MD-80 page on Boeing.com
• MD-90 page on Boeing.com
• MD-80 and MD-90 history on Boeing.com

Related content

• Boeing 717

Template:Douglas Airliners Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era

• Airbus A320
• Boeing 737-400
• Boeing 737-800

Related lists

• List of airliners
• List of civil aircraft