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Douglas DC-8-55F · 3D-AIA · African International Airways

Douglas DC-8-55F illustration in African International Airways livery Illustrative image; it may differ from the actual aircraft.

Douglas DC-8-55F

DC8-45803Scrapped
RegistrationSZ3D-AIA
Verified aircraft dataagainst the official civil aviation registerWhat does this badge mean?Using its former registration (N809CK), we checked that this aircraft’s serial number and model match the official civil aviation register: FAA (United States), data as of Oct 8, 2026.That makes its identity more reliable. The verification expires after 12 months: if the register stops confirming it, the badge disappears.How we verify
OperatorAfrican International Airways
9operators
0incidents
0accidents
0logbook years
0photos

Douglas DC-8-55F. Operated for Trans Caribbean Airways, ONA Overseas National Airways and African International Airways. Scrapped.

Vuelopedia is a work in progress: it currently holds about 30% of the information we expect to have by the third quarter of 2027. Although we use only official, highly reliable sources, some aircraft data and history may still contain errors or inaccuracies. We work hard to clear every anomaly from the records using specialized verification tools.

Technical data

MSN45803
VerificationIdentity verified against the official register of FAA (United States) under its former registration N809CK · Oct 8, 2026

The model · Douglas DC-8

Figures for the DC-8-63 variant, the most representative of the family · it is 54% the length of a football pitch

Length57.1 m187 ft
Wingspan45.2 m148 ft
Height12.9 m42 ft
Range7,408 km4,000 NMWith a typical passenger load
Cruise speed895 km/h483 ktMach 0.84
Service ceiling12,800 m41,995 ftIt flies above Everest (1.4 times its height)
Maximum take-off weight161,025 kg354,999 lb
Maximum payload89,022 kg196,260 lbIts 259 passengers with baggage would weigh about 25.9 t; the rest is fuel and cargo
Typical capacity259 passengers
Endurance8 h 17 minAt cruise speed, non-stop

With its 7,408 km range, from Johannesburg it could fly non-stop as far as:

GIGRio De Janeiro7,152 kmBOMMumbai6,964 kmDXBDubai6,413 kmCAICairo6,264 kmDOHDoha6,243 km
Beyond its rangeGRUSão Paulo7,439 km

The type first flew in 1958 (68 years ago) · About 556 units built · Production ended in 1972

Figures for the type, not for this particular aircraft: each variant and each configuration changes something. They are shown in both systems used in aviation.

The full story of the Douglas DC-8 Compare this aircraft

Airports

Airports of the airlines that have operated it

since 2000African International Airways airline base
Base
JNBJohannesburg

Flight logbook

Under research

Aircraft chronology

Jul 15, 1965
Delivered to Trans Caribbean Airways
Delivered to Trans Caribbean Airways as N8785R.
Nov 29, 1968
Transferred to ONA Overseas National Airways
Transferred to ONA Overseas National Airways.
Jan 30, 1970
Transferred to Trans Caribbean Airways
Transferred to Trans Caribbean Airways.
Mar 2, 1971
Transferred to American Airlines
Transferred to American Airlines.
Jun 4, 1971
Transferred to Air Centrafrique
Transferred to Air Centrafrique.
Apr 25, 1972
Transferred to American Airlines
Transferred to American Airlines.
Jun 30, 1972
Transferred to UTA Union De Transport Aerien
Transferred to UTA Union De Transport Aerien.
Apr 1, 1982
Transferred to LACSA Costa Rica
Transferred to LACSA Costa Rica.
Nov 3, 1994
Transferred to American International Airways
Transferred to American International Airways.
Apr 1, 1995
Re-registered
Changed from N29549 to N809CK (still with American International Airways).
Feb 3, 1999
Transferred to Kitty Hawk International
Transferred to Kitty Hawk International.
Nov 28, 2000
Transferred to African International Airways
Transferred to African International Airways.

Operators

1965-07-15
Trans Caribbean Airways
Registration N8785R
1968-11-29
ONA Overseas National Airways
Registration N8785R · Lessor: Trans Caribbean Airways
1970-01-30
Trans Caribbean Airways
Registration N8785R
1971-03-02
American Airlines
Registration N8785R
1971-06-04
Air Centrafrique
Registration TL-AAK
1972-04-25
American Airlines
Registration N6842
1972-06-30
1982-04-01
LACSA Costa Rica
Registration N29549 · Lessor: Charlotte Aircraft Corporation
1987-04-15
LACSA Costa Rica
Registration N29549
1994-11-03
1995-04-01
1999-02-03
Kitty Hawk International
Registration N809CK
2000-11-28

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Cite

To cite this page in academic work, an article or Wikipedia, choose the style and copy the reference. The access date is today.

This page was last updated on October 10, 2026

APA

Vuelopedia. (2026, October 10). Douglas DC-8-55F · 3D-AIA · African International Airways. Retrieved October 16, 2026, from https://vuelopedia.org/en/aircraft/DC8-45803

MLA

“Douglas DC-8-55F · 3D-AIA · African International Airways.” Vuelopedia, Fundación Poderia, 10 Oct. 2026, vuelopedia.org/en/aircraft/DC8-45803. Accessed 16 Oct. 2026.

Chicago

Vuelopedia. “Douglas DC-8-55F · 3D-AIA · African International Airways.” Fundación Poderia. Last modified October 10, 2026. https://vuelopedia.org/en/aircraft/DC8-45803.

Harvard

Vuelopedia (2026) Douglas DC-8-55F · 3D-AIA · African International Airways. Available at: https://vuelopedia.org/en/aircraft/DC8-45803 (Accessed: 16 October 2026).

BibTeX

@misc{vuelopedia_en_aircraft_dc8_45803,
  author       = {{Vuelopedia}},
  title        = {{Douglas DC-8-55F · 3D-AIA · African International Airways}},
  publisher    = {Fundación Poderia},
  year         = {2026},
  date         = {2026-10-10},
  url          = {https://vuelopedia.org/en/aircraft/DC8-45803},
  howpublished = {\url{https://vuelopedia.org/en/aircraft/DC8-45803}},
  urldate      = {2026-10-16},
  note         = {Accessed 2026-10-16}
}

Wikipedia

{{cite web |url=https://vuelopedia.org/en/aircraft/DC8-45803 |title=Douglas DC-8-55F · 3D-AIA · African International Airways |website=Vuelopedia |publisher=Fundación Poderia |date=2026-10-10 |access-date=2026-10-16 |language=en}}