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McDonnell Douglas MD-88 · N974DL · 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

MD80-53242Unknown
RegistrationUSN974DL
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
2operators
3incidents
0accidents
15logbook years
0photos

McDonnell Douglas MD-88 in Long Beach. Has operated for Delta Air Lines and Tatonduk Outfitters.

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.

Recent flights

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Technical data

ManufacturerMcDonnell Douglas
Engines2×
PropulsionJet
Built inLong Beach, California (EE. UU.)
Country of registrationEstados Unidos
OwnerDelta Air Lines
MSN53242
Hex / ICAO 24-bitAD92D7
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:

SEASeattle3,505 kmBOGBogota3,389 kmLAXLos Angeles3,126 kmPTYTocumen2,780 kmMEXMexico City2,143 km
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.

The full story of the McDonnell Douglas MD-80 Compare this aircraft

Airports

Where this aircraft has operated, by period · source BTS (EE. UU.)

2006–2020Delta Air Lines · 15 years
Main base
ATLAtlanta15 years
Also flew to
LGANew YorkDTWDetroitCVGCincinnatiMCOOrlandoBOSBostonTPATampaDCAWashingtonDFWDallas/Fort WorthJFKNew YorkMSPMinneapolisMEMMemphisBDLHartfordFLLFort LauderdaleMIAMiamiBWIBaltimoreCLTCharlottePBIWest Palm Beach/Palm BeachRDURaleigh/DurhamCHSCharlestonSAVSavannah

Flight logbook

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

2020
Delta Air Lines · 635 flights during the year · base Atlanta (ATL)
Main route of the year: Atlanta (ATL) → Columbus (CMH)
2019
Delta Air Lines · 1,701 flights during the year · base Atlanta (ATL)
Main route of the year: Atlanta (ATL) → Savannah (SAV)
2018
Delta Air Lines · 1,946 flights during the year · base Atlanta (ATL)
Main route of the year: Charleston (CHS) → Atlanta (ATL)
2017
Delta Air Lines · 1,908 flights during the year · base Atlanta (ATL)
Main route of the year: Atlanta (ATL) → Baltimore (BWI)
2016
Delta Air Lines · 1,702 flights during the year · base Atlanta (ATL)
Main route of the year: Atlanta (ATL) → Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW)
2015
Delta Air Lines · 1,811 flights during the year · base Atlanta (ATL)
Main route of the year: Atlanta (ATL) → Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW)
2014
Delta Air Lines · 1,477 flights during the year · base Atlanta (ATL)
Main route of the year: Atlanta (ATL) → New York (LGA)
53 days inactive
2013
Delta Air Lines · 1,742 flights during the year · base Atlanta (ATL)
Main route of the year: Atlanta (ATL) → Washington (DCA)

Aircraft chronology

Mar 7, 1991
Delivered to McDonnell Douglas Corporation
Delivered to McDonnell Douglas Corporation as N974DL.
Mar 15, 1991
Transferred to Delta Air Lines
Transferred to Delta Air Lines.
Apr 22, 2003
Incident at Denver (DEN) International Airport
On April 22, 2003, the McDonnell Douglas MD-88 aircraft (registration N974DL), operated by Delta Air Lines, was involved in an incident at Denver (DEN) International Airport (United States). Source: Delta Air Lines.
Source: Delta Air Lines
Apr 17, 2018
Incident at Providence
On April 17, 2018, the DC-9 88 aircraft (registration N974DL), operated by Delta Air Lines, was involved in an incident at Providence. Source: Delta Air Lines.
Source: Delta Air Lines
Oct 3, 2019
Incident at Savannah
On October 3, 2019, the DC-9 88 aircraft (registration N974DL), operated by Delta Air Lines, was involved in an incident at Savannah. Source: the FAA (United States).
Source: FAA

Operators

1991-03-07
1991-03-15
Delta Air Lines
Registration N974DL
—
Tatonduk Outfitters
Registration N974DL · Lessor: Tatonduk Outfitters

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Current position of the aircraft

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This page was last updated on October 15, 2026

APA

Vuelopedia. (2026, October 15). McDonnell Douglas MD-88 · N974DL · Delta Air Lines. Retrieved October 21, 2026, from https://vuelopedia.org/en/aircraft/MD80-53242

MLA

“McDonnell Douglas MD-88 · N974DL · Delta Air Lines.” Vuelopedia, Fundación Poderia, 15 Oct. 2026, vuelopedia.org/en/aircraft/MD80-53242. Accessed 21 Oct. 2026.

Chicago

Vuelopedia. “McDonnell Douglas MD-88 · N974DL · Delta Air Lines.” Fundación Poderia. Last modified October 15, 2026. https://vuelopedia.org/en/aircraft/MD80-53242.

Harvard

Vuelopedia (2026) McDonnell Douglas MD-88 · N974DL · Delta Air Lines. Available at: https://vuelopedia.org/en/aircraft/MD80-53242 (Accessed: 21 October 2026).

BibTeX

@misc{vuelopedia_en_aircraft_md80_53242,
  author       = {{Vuelopedia}},
  title        = {{McDonnell Douglas MD-88 · N974DL · Delta Air Lines}},
  publisher    = {Fundación Poderia},
  year         = {2026},
  date         = {2026-10-15},
  url          = {https://vuelopedia.org/en/aircraft/MD80-53242},
  howpublished = {\url{https://vuelopedia.org/en/aircraft/MD80-53242}},
  urldate      = {2026-10-21},
  note         = {Accessed 2026-10-21}
}

Wikipedia

{{cite web |url=https://vuelopedia.org/en/aircraft/MD80-53242 |title=McDonnell Douglas MD-88 · N974DL · Delta Air Lines |website=Vuelopedia |publisher=Fundación Poderia |date=2026-10-15 |access-date=2026-10-21 |language=en}}