Tag Archives: McDonnell Douglas

Biman Bangladesh Airlines operates the last McDonnell Douglas DC-10 passenger flight

Biman Bangladesh Airlines (Dhaka) as planned, operated the last revenue passenger flight of a McDonnell Douglas DC-10 yesterday (February 24). The last flight was a charter flight (flight 008) from Birmingham with the pictured DC-10-30 S2-ACR (msn 48317) with 200 passengers eager to fly the last flight. The DC-10 type has flown passengers for nearly 43 years and continues today as a freighter with several cargo airlines.

Read the full report from the BBC: CLICK HERE

Top Copyright Photo: Nik French/AirlinersGallery.com. S2-ACR departs from Birmingham on the the next-to-last charter flight.

Biman Bangladesh Airlines:

Bottom Copyright Photos: Allan Huse. A picture of the flight crew and the cockpit for the last flight from Birmingham. The seats in the middle were not sold. Only the window and exterior aisle seats were sold on the last flight.

Video: Amateur video of one of the enthusiast charter flights from Birmingham:

Biman Bangladesh Airlines operates the last McDonnell Douglas DC-10 passenger flight

Biman Bangladesh Airlines (Dhaka) today (February 20) operated the last McDonnell Douglas DC-10 passenger flight in the world with DC-10-30 S2-ACR (man 48317). The final flight today flew from Dhaka to Birmingham, England via a refueling stop in Kuwait City. Current plans are reportedly to scrap the wide body airliner for its parts and residual metal value.

Before the final disposition of S2-ACR, Biman will operate scenic flights from Birmingham this weekend. The airline issued this statement about the scenic flights:

Due to an overwhelming response from aviation enthusiasts from around the world, we are going to operate scenic flights on the weekend of February 22, 23 and 24 from Birmingham Airport. The first flights to go on sale will operate on the Monday, February 24 at 0900, 1200 and 1500 with a block time of an estimated one-hour. If as expected, they sell out quickly we open up the Sunday, February 23 flights up for the same times of 0900, 1200 and 1500. As these sell out then we will open up the Saturday flights also at the same times – 0900, 1200 and 1500. As with the last commercial flight from Dhaka, we are keeping the prices for these scenic flights at reasonable levels with prices of ₤150 for a window seat and ₤100 for an aisle seat. Please note that for the last commercial flight ever on Monday February 24 @ 1500, prices have been set slightly higher at ₤200/₤150. In order to keep the flights as “special” as possible we are only selling 152 of the 319 seats on the aircraft – therefore all are window or aisle seats.

Read the full story from the BBC: CLICK HERE

The retirement came as a result of a new Boeing 777-300 ER delivery. Biman issued this statement on the new arrival of 777-3E9 S2-AHM (msn 40120):

Biman Bangladesh Airline’s newest aircraft, the Boeing 777-300 ER is the world’s largest twinjet aircraft, this long-range wide-body plane is popularly known as the “Triple Seven”. Our newest 777-300 ER is the third extended range 777 to join our modern fleet.

The latest 777-300 ER is named “Akashprodip” and replaces the retired DC-10 for long-range flights to serve destinations such as Frankfurt, Rome, London, and Birmingham.

Biman’s Managing Director and CEO Kevin Steele personally took delivery of latest 777-300 ER from Boeing’s Seattle headquarters on February 6. The new plane, painted in Biman’s bi-colored livery, traveled on a nonstop flight from Seattle to Dhaka.

The receiving ceremony of the newest 777-300 ER was held February 11, 2014 at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka, inaugurated by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. At the ceremony she said, “Biman acts as the representative of Bangladesh abroad and it flies across the world as the symbol of our independence.”

Biman will soon take delivery of its fourth Boeing 777-300 ER, named “Rangaprobhat” on March 21. The delivery is part of a ten aircraft contract with Boeing. Future plans are to secure two Boeing 737-800s and four Boeing 787-8s by 2019.

Top Copyright Photo: SM Fitzwilliams Collection/AirlinersGallery.com (all others by Biman). McDonnell Douglas DC-10-30 S2-ACR 9msn 48317) arrives at London (Heathrow) on a previous flight.

Biman Bangladesh Airlines:

Allegiant Air to resume two routes from Los Angeles on June 6

Allegiant Air (Las Vegas) on June 6 will resume two routes from Los Angeles. The ultra low fare carrier will resume twice weekly service to both Billings, Montana and Pasco (Tri-Cities), Washington per Airline Route. Both routes were dropped in August 2012.

Allegiant today also began new nonstop jet service between Burlington, Vermont and Sanford International Airport (near Orlando) in Florida.

Copyright Photo: Michael B. Ing/AirlinersGallery.com. McDonnell Douglas DC-9-83 N422NV (msn 49381) prepares to land at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX).

Allegiant Air:

Orange Air plans to fly with a McDonnell Douglas DC-9-82 (MD-82)

Orange Air (flyorangeair.com) (Sanford, Florida) is a new paper airline that is in the process of obtaining its Air Operators Certificate (AOC). The airline on its website is advertising as “Coming Soon” although no announcement has been made. The would be airline has reportedly taken delivery of the former Spirit Airlines (N804NK) and Belle Air (ZA-ARD) McDonnell Doug;as DC-9-82 (MD-82) as N918AV (msn 49104). N918AV was ferried from Sanford to Opa-locka on January 30 with an Orange Air tail logo according to Skyliner.

Allegiant to drop Charlottesville, Virginia and Manhattan, Kansas on February 23

Allegiant Air‘s (Las Vegas) business plan is to enter a small market and initially fly twice-weekly to a vacation destination. If it fills up the airplanes, it adds additional days of the week. If the new speculative route does not pan out, the airline quickly drops the airport and the route.

This is the case for both Charlottesville, Virginia and Manhattan, Kansas, both university towns. Allegiant began flying to Charlottesville in November to Sanford, Florida (near Orlando). This route did not work and the ultra low-fare airline is dropping the route on February 23, 2014 according the USA Today and pnj.com.

Manhattan received Allegiant service on November 7, 2013 to Mesa, Arizona (near Phoenix). It too will be dropped on February 23.

Read the full report: CLICK HERE

In other news, Allegiant Air today announced a month-long campaign to spotlight local travelers, commemorating the 15th anniversary of the carrier’s first scheduled service. According to the carrier, “The campaign will celebrate Allegiant’s success and commitment to making leisure travel possible with real stories from loyal customers who have changed the way they travel because of the carrier’s unique brand of low-cost, nonstop service.”

Copyright Photo: Jay Selman/AirlinersGallery.com. McDonnell Douglas DC-9-83 (MD-83) N424NV (msn 49421) approaches the runway at the Las Vegas base.

Allegiant Air:

Biman Bangladesh Airlines to now retire the last DC-10 on February 20, will host enthusiast flights from Birmingham

Biman Bangladesh Airlines (Dhaka) has delayed the retirement of its last McDonnell Douglas DC-10. Here is the updated message by the airline:

On, or about February 14, 2014 this three-engine wide-body will be withdrawn from scheduled service and prepped by engineering for its final flights. The last commercial flight will be on Thursday, February 20 when flight BG 1015 takes to the skies at 0830 from Dhaka enroute to Birmingham in the United Kingdom. Operating via Kuwait this flight will arrive in Birmingham the same day at 1620. Priced at only ₤ 600 (plus taxes) for a window seat or ₤ 500 plus taxes, for all the other seats, we have kept the pricing at minimal levels to ensure the flight is accessible to as many as possible.

But this is not its final operation. Due to an overwhelming response from aviation enthusiasts from around the world, we are going to operate scenic flights on the weekend of February 22, 23 and 24 from Birmingham airport. The first flights to go on sale will operate on the Monday, February 24 at 0900, 1200 and 1500 with a block time of an estimated one-hour. If as expected, they sell out quickly we will open up the Sunday, February 23 flights up for the same times of 0900, 1200 and 1500. As these sell out then we will open up the Saturday flights also at the same times – 0900, 1200 and 1500. As with the last commercial flight from Dhaka, we are keeping the prices for these scenic flights at reasonable levels with prices of ₤150 for a window seat and ₤100 for an aisle seat. Please note that for the last commercial flight ever on Monday February 24 @ 1500, prices have been set slightly higher at ₤200/₤150. In order to keep the flights as “special” as possible we are only selling 152 of the 319 seats on the aircraft – therefore all are window or aisle seats.

We want to make sure these flights only sold to aviation enthusiasts and not to third parties or wholesalers, so you must book on-line at www.biman-airlines.com. For the last commercial flight ever, on February 24 @ 1500, we have teamed up with Ian Allan travel in the UK at www.ianallantravel.com /aviationtours/ who will also sell tickets.

Biman Bangladesh is the last passenger operator of the DC-10.

Copyright Photo: Antony J. Best/AirlinersGallery.com. McDonnell Douglas DC-10-30 S2-ACQ (msn 47817) arrives at London’s Heathrow Airport.

Biman Bangladesh Airlines:

Delta operates its last DC-9 flight with N773NC, expands Boeing 717 operations

Delta Air Lines (Atlanta) yesterday (January 6) as planned and previously announced, operated its last DC-9 flight. The pictured McDonnell Douglas DC-9-51 N773NC (msn 47775) (above) and crew had the honor of operating the very last DC-9 revenue flight as flight DL 2014 between Minneapolis/St. Paul and Atlanta.

With the cold temperatures in both MSP and ATL there was not the traditional water cannon salute.

N773NC was originally delivered to North Central Airlines on October 26, 1978. With the merger with Southern Airways it became Republic Airlines on July 1, 1979. With the Republic merger into Northwest Airlines it took on the red tail on October 1, 1986. Finally it joined the Delta fleet on October 29, 2008 with the Delta-Northwest merger.

Delta operated 13 DC-9-51s in January up to the last flight operated by N773NC. Five DC-9-51s were retired in 2013, six in 2012 and 10 in 2011 according to Airliners.net. One DC-9-51 will be reserved for a museum. Delta is reportedly holding on to two DC-9-51s as spare aircraft for a few days while the newer Boeing 717s replace the DC-9-51s. The other DC-9-51 will end up in the desert where they will be broken up for the parts and the recyclable metal.

Read the full story from the Associated Press: CLICK HERE

Read the full story from Time: CLICK HERE

In other news, Delta is expanding the number of routes served by the new Boeing 717. The airline is introducing the 717 from Atlanta to Augusta (April 1), Chicago (Midway) (April 1), Dallas (Love Field) (October 13), Fayetteville (April 1) and Houston (Bush Intercontinental) (April 1) per Airline Route.

Top Copyright Photo: Bruce Drum/AirlinersGallery.com. McDonnell Douglas DC-9-51 N773NC (msn 47775) faithfully served four airlines right up to the last flight. N773NC arrives at MSP.

Delta Air Lines:

Airline and Aircraft Galleries:

Bottom Copyright Photo: Tony Storck/AirlinersGallery.com. The Boeing 717 started operating to Baltimore/Washington (BWI) yesterday (January 6) with the DC-9-51 retirements. Delta painted the first ex-AirTran Airways Boeing 717 in September 2013, namely the pictured N935AT, which is pictured arriving at BWI. Delta is leasing the entire AirTran fleet of 88 Boeing 717s from Southwest Airlines (Dallas). The new type was introduced on September 19, 2013 between the Atlanta hub and Newark. The DL 717s feature 12 seats in First Class, 15 seats in Economy Comfort and 83 seats in Economy. N935AT was originally delivered to TWA as N402TW on April 11, 2000.

Biman Bangladesh Airlines to retire its last McDonnell Douglas DC-10 on January 30, ending an era

Biman Bangladesh Airlines (Dhaka) is currently now planning to operate the last passenger McDonnell Douglas DC-10-30 revenue flight on January 30 on a regular flight between Kuwait City and Dhaka as a stand-by aircraft. This retirement is always subject to change due to operational requirements. Biman currently has two DC-10-30s which are also the last passenger DC-10s operating in the world. The airline is offering a ferry flight to Birmingham and possible scenic flights in the UK in which it will sell seats.

Previously CEO Kevin Steele issued this statement on November 10, 2013:

There has been a lot of interest lately from press, aviation enthusiasts and the general public, on what will be happening with Biman’s last DC-10s, which will be phased out in the coming months with the arrival of new aircraft. These are the last flying passenger DC-10-30 aircraft in the whole world. So I thought I would take this opportunity to brief you with the latest news, which will be updated when further firm news becomes available.

Biman currently has 2 DC-10-30s flying. As their fuel consumption is higher than other aircraft in our fleet, they are used sparingly. One of those DC-10s will come to the end of its economic life on November 10, 2013 and will be scrapped locally. The last DC-10 will continue normal flying until December 7, 2013, the start of the revised schedule for the fog period here in Dhaka. Thereafter, it will only be used as a standby aircraft, in case another aircraft in our fleet become unserviceable for any reason. We will not be scheduling it on any route though.

This last DC-10 will continue as a standby aircraft until sometime in February 2014. The exact date is not known yet, as it is being coordinated with the arrival of our brand new Boeing 777-300 ER aircraft from Boeing. We expect to know the exact date in early January 2014.

The last DC-10 is being donated to a museum in the USA, a fitting end for an aircraft that has served Biman loyally and well over many years. Accordingly, we will then offer for sale, as a last opportunity to travel on a passenger DC-10, anywhere in the world:

a. Seats on a last flight Dhaka to Birmingham (UK). Note this will need a technical stop
somewhere.

b. 2 (or more if demand requires it) one hour ‘scenic tours’ to/from Birmingham

c. We are unsure if the US authorities will give us traffic rights on the Birmingham to USA
sector. If they do, this will also be offered for sale.

d. We are also discussing with the UK Post Office, about the carriage of ‘Last day Covers’
on the last sector Birmingham-USA, for sale at a later date.

Tickets will only be sold via our website, hopefully from early January, so do not buy tickets elsewhere, we want these tickets to go to genuine aviation enthusiasts. If there is a demand for more ‘scenic tour’ flights at Birmingham, we can consider these too.

We hope you will join with us in celebrating the farewell of a loyal, beautiful aircraft, but also to recognize that the time has now come for Biman to equip itself with the very latest in new aircraft and technology.

Copyright Photo: Michael Ing/AirlinersGallery.com. McDonnell Douglas DC-10-30 S2-ACQ (msn 47817) prepares to land in Singapore.

Biman Bangladesh Airlines:

Delta officially announces it will retire its last Douglas DC-9 on January 6

Delta Air Lines (Atlanta) has now officially announced on what we previously reported. The airline today issued this statement on the last Douglas DC-9 flight in the history of the airline.

Delta Air Lines on January 6, 2014 will retire its remaining Douglas DC-9 aircraft following flight DL 2014 scheduled to depart Minneapolis/St. Paul for Atlanta at 4:20 p.m. (CST) (1620), the last scheduled commercial flight of the DC-9 by a major U.S. airline.

“The DC-9 has been a workhorse in our domestic fleet while providing a reliable customer experience,” said Nat Pieper, Delta’s vice president – Fleet Strategy. “The aircraft’s retirement paves the way for newer, more efficient aircraft.”

Since 2008, Delta has removed or retired more than 350 aircraft from its fleet including 50-seat Bombardier CRJ200s; SAAB 340Bs and McDonnell Douglas DC-9s; while adding economically efficient, proven-technology aircraft such as the Boeing 777-200 LR; two-class, 65 and 76-seat regional jets and variants of the 737 and 717, largely on a capacity-neutral basis.

The DC-9 retirement comes just months after Delta began taking delivery of its orders of 88 Boeing 717-200 aircraft and 100 Boeing 737-900 ER aircraft, which began entering service in October and November, respectively. Each aircraft features a First Class cabin and slim-line seats throughout Delta’s Economy Comfort and Economy cabin along with Wi-Fi connectivity and in-seat power ports. Additionally, the Boeing 737-900 ER offers on-demand entertainment throughout the cabin. Delta also recently announced its order for 40 Airbus aircraft including 30 narrowbody A321s, which will begin to be delivered in 2016.

Delta was the launch customer for the original 65-seat version of the DC-9-14 in 1965 as the airline replaced propeller aircraft on high-frequency, short-haul domestic routes. The twin-engine plane was removed from the Delta fleet in 1993, but larger variants reentered service following the merger with Northwest Airlines; those aircraft joined Northwest after it acquired Republic Airlines in 1986. Delta has flown a total of 305 DC-9s since 1965.

To acknowledge the DC-9’s retirement, the last flight has been tagged DL 2014 noting the final year of service, while the preceding flight operating from Detroit to Minneapolis/St. Paul will be flight DL 1965, the aircraft’s initial year of service.

The last DC-9 to be operated by Delta is the pictured DC-9-51 (top). It is unclear at this time which aircraft will be flown on the last historic flight.

Well done Delta for recognizing and honoring your rich history.

Delta Air Lines:

Video: Inside the cockpit of DC-9-51 N774NC:

Delta Air Lines to retire the last Douglas DC-9 on January 6, 2014

Delta Air Lines (Atlanta) although not yet officially announced, but published in the schedules, is currently planning to operate the last McDonnell Douglas DC-9-51 on January 6, 2014. An appropriately named flight DL 1965 will operate from Detroit to Minneapolis/St. Paul departing DTW at 3:39 pm (1539) and arriving at MSP at 4:43 (1643) followed by flight DL 2014 which will operate from Minneapolis/St. Paul to Atlanta as the last scheduled flight, departing MSP at 7:20 pm (1920) and arriving at ATL at 8:47 pm (2047) local time. An unspecified DC-9-51 will operate the last flights. Photos of the last flights are welcome.

Delta has been gradually dwindling down the former Northwest Airlines (and North Central Airlines) DC-9-51 fleet with 10 retirements in 2011, six in 2012 and four so far in 2013. According to Airliners.net, 14 were still in service as of November 19, 2013. One of these 14 aircraft will operate the last revenue flight on January 6, 2014. The aircraft will be ferried to the desert and eventually broken up for scrap metal.

This is actually the second Delta retirement of the DC-9. Delta previously retired its last original DC-9-32 on January 1, 1993. With the merger of Northwest Airlines on October 29, 2008, the DC-9 type was re-introduced back in the Delta fleet under the Delta name.

Delta Air Lines took delivery of its first 65-seat Douglas DC-9-14 (N3304L) (see N3314L below) on September 18, 1965. The new type entered revenue service on November 29, 1965 as flight DL 791 on the Atlanta-Memphis-Kansas City route.

177 total DC-9s were operated. Delta in its history operated the following DC-9 types:

16 DC-9-14s

1 DC-9-15 (leased from Jet International)

114 DC-9-31/32s

12 DC-9-41s

34 DC-9-51s

Information from the Delta Museum:

Top Copyright Photo: Bruce Drum/AirlinersGallery.com. McDonnell Douglas DC-9-51 N773NC (msn 47775) completes its final approach into Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport.

Delta Air Lines:

Bottom Copyright Photo: Bruce Drum/AirlinersGallery.com. Douglas DC-9-14 N3314L sits at the old Atlanta maintenance base on January 27, 1970. The original delivery color scheme of the DC-9-14s included this forward-pointing widget which was later changed to the standard upright widget.