Boeing-Mcdonnell Douglas Boeing (Douglas) Md 82

Twin Jet· 33 globally registered

The McDonnell Douglas MD-82 is the workhorse variant of the DC-9 Super 80 family, a stretched twin-jet that dominated short-haul routes across the Americas from the early 1980s through the 2010s. Launched in 1979 as an improved DC-9-81 with uprated Pratt & Whitney JT8D-217 engines delivering 20,000 pounds of thrust each, the MD-82 became the best-selling member of the Super 80 series with 569 aircraft delivered between 1981 and 1997. Its distinctive rear-mounted engines and T-tail configuration made it instantly recognizable on the ramp, while its 155-passenger capacity in typical two-class layouts filled the gap between smaller regional jets and widebody equipment. American Airlines operated the largest MD-82 fleet in history, with over 300 aircraft at peak, making the type synonymous with domestic U.S. travel for nearly three decades. The MD-82's operating envelope includes a maximum cruise speed of Mach 0.76 at 35,000 feet and a range of approximately 2,050 nautical miles with full payload, though its relatively high fuel consumption and Stage 3 noise footprint led most operators to retire the type by 2020 in favor of modern narrowbodies like the Boeing 737 and Airbus A320 families. Today the MD-82 survives primarily in cargo conversion roles and with smaller carriers in Latin America and the Middle East, where its rugged design and hot-and-high performance continue to prove valuable. SkyMeter has tracked 25 flights across 10 airframes and 3 operators over routes, with SCOTT SYKES the largest observed operator.