McDonnell Douglas MD-88 · N908DL · Delta Air Lines

McDonnell Douglas MD-88 illustration in Delta Air Lines livery Illustrative image; it may differ from the actual aircraft.

McDonnell Douglas MD-88

MD80-49539Scrapped
RegistrationUSN908DL
Verified aircraft dataagainst the official civil aviation registerWhat does this badge mean?We checked that this aircraft’s registration, 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
OperatorDelta Air Lines
1operators
2incidents
0accidents
14logbook years
0photos

McDonnell Douglas MD-88 in Long Beach. Operated for Delta Air Lines. 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

ManufacturerMcDonnell Douglas
Engines2×
PropulsionJet
Built inLong Beach, California (EE. UU.)
OwnerDelta Air Lines
MSN49539
VerificationIdentity verified against the official register of FAA (United States) · Oct 8, 2026

The model · McDonnell Douglas MD-80

Figures for the MD-82 variant, the most representative of the family

Length45.1 m148 ft
Wingspan32.9 m108 ft
Height9.2 m30 ft
Range3,797 km2,050 NMWith a typical passenger load
Cruise speed807 km/h436 ktMach 0.76
Service ceiling11,280 m37,008 ftIt flies above Everest (1.3 times its height)
Maximum take-off weight67,812 kg149,500 lb
Maximum payload32,443 kg71,524 lbIts 155 passengers with baggage would weigh about 15.5 t; the rest is fuel and cargo
Typical capacity155 passengersUp to 172 in a high-density layout
Endurance4 h 42 minAt cruise speed, non-stop

With its 3,797 km range, from Atlanta it could fly non-stop as far as:

Beyond its rangeLIMLima5,136 km

The type first flew in 1979 (47 years ago) · About 1,191 units built · Production ended in 1999

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.

Flight logbook

Year-by-year activity · source BTS (EE. UU.)

2019
Delta Air Lines · 1,590 flights during the year · base Atlanta (ATL)
Main route of the year: Atlanta (ATL) → Charleston (CHS)
2018
Delta Air Lines · 1,947 flights during the year · base Atlanta (ATL)
Main route of the year: Atlanta (ATL) → Miami (MIA)
2017
Delta Air Lines · 1,797 flights during the year · base Atlanta (ATL)
Main route of the year: Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW) → Atlanta (ATL)
2016
Delta Air Lines · 1,890 flights during the year · base Atlanta (ATL)
Main route of the year: Atlanta (ATL) → Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW)
2015
Delta Air Lines · 1,514 flights during the year · base Atlanta (ATL)
Main route of the year: Atlanta (ATL) → Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW)
48 days inactive
2014
Delta Air Lines · 1,733 flights during the year · base Atlanta (ATL)
Main route of the year: Atlanta (ATL) → Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW)
2013
Delta Air Lines · 1,754 flights during the year · base Atlanta (ATL)
Main route of the year: Atlanta (ATL) → Washington (DCA)
2012
Delta Air Lines · 1,474 flights during the year · base Atlanta (ATL)
Main route of the year: Atlanta (ATL) → Dayton (DAY)
34 days inactive

Aircraft chronology

Mar 31, 1987
Delivered to McDonnell Douglas Corporation as N908DL.
Nov 20, 1991
Incident at Atlanta
On November 20, 1991, the Mcdonnell Douglas MD-88 aircraft (registration N908DL), operated by Delta Air Lines, was involved in an incident at Atlanta (United States) due to a fire on board. Source: Delta Air Lines.
Source: Delta Air Lines
Oct 23, 2016
Incident at Springfield
On October 23, 2016, the DC-9 88 aircraft (registration N908DL), operated by Delta Air Lines, was involved in an incident at Springfield. Source: Delta Air Lines.
Source: Delta Air Lines
Jul 12, 2018
Transferred to Delta Air Lines
Transferred to Delta Air Lines.

Operators

1987-03-31
2018-07-12
Registration N908DL · Lessor: Delta

Register of memories

This space lets visitors record the memories they have with this aircraft and, in doing so, help fund this non-profit project: the largest aviation encyclopedia in the world.

Diamond
your photo
(Your name could be here)

Did you fly on this aircraft on your honeymoon? You can record it for posterity.

Get one
Gold
your photo
Your partner's name

Did you meet on a flight like this one? Leave the name written forever.

Get one
Silver
your photo
Your father's name

Did he ever fly on this aircraft? Honor him with a memory.

Get one
See the full list of memories

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 15, 2026

APA

Vuelopedia. (2026, October 15). McDonnell Douglas MD-88 · N908DL · Delta Air Lines. Retrieved October 19, 2026, from https://vuelopedia.org/en/aircraft/MD80-49539

MLA

“McDonnell Douglas MD-88 · N908DL · Delta Air Lines.” Vuelopedia, Fundación Poderia, 15 Oct. 2026, vuelopedia.org/en/aircraft/MD80-49539. Accessed 19 Oct. 2026.

Chicago

Vuelopedia. “McDonnell Douglas MD-88 · N908DL · Delta Air Lines.” Fundación Poderia. Last modified October 15, 2026. https://vuelopedia.org/en/aircraft/MD80-49539.

Harvard

Vuelopedia (2026) McDonnell Douglas MD-88 · N908DL · Delta Air Lines. Available at: https://vuelopedia.org/en/aircraft/MD80-49539 (Accessed: 19 October 2026).

BibTeX

@misc{vuelopedia_en_aircraft_md80_49539,
  author       = {{Vuelopedia}},
  title        = {{McDonnell Douglas MD-88 · N908DL · Delta Air Lines}},
  publisher    = {Fundación Poderia},
  year         = {2026},
  date         = {2026-10-15},
  url          = {https://vuelopedia.org/en/aircraft/MD80-49539},
  howpublished = {\url{https://vuelopedia.org/en/aircraft/MD80-49539}},
  urldate      = {2026-10-19},
  note         = {Accessed 2026-10-19}
}

Wikipedia

{{cite web |url=https://vuelopedia.org/en/aircraft/MD80-49539 |title=McDonnell Douglas MD-88 · N908DL · Delta Air Lines |website=Vuelopedia |publisher=Fundación Poderia |date=2026-10-15 |access-date=2026-10-19 |language=en}}