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McDonnell Douglas MD-88 · N975DL · 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

MD80-53243Scrapped
RegistrationUSN975DL
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.)
Country of registrationEstados Unidos
OwnerDelta Air Lines
MSN53243
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.)

2006–2019Delta Air Lines · 14 years
Main base
ATLAtlanta14 years
Also flew to
LGANew YorkDTWDetroitCVGCincinnatiMCOOrlandoMSPMinneapolisJFKNew YorkBDLHartfordMIAMiamiDCAWashingtonDFWDallas/Fort WorthMEMMemphisFLLFort LauderdaleBWIBaltimoreBOSBostonTPATampaSAVSavannahCHSCharlestonMSYNew OrleansMKEMilwaukeeBHMBirmingham

Flight logbook

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

2019
Delta Air Lines · 1,672 flights during the year · base Atlanta (ATL)
Main route of the year: Atlanta (ATL) → Charleston (CHS)
2018
Delta Air Lines · 1,804 flights during the year · base Atlanta (ATL)
Main route of the year: Atlanta (ATL) → Charleston (CHS)
2017
Delta Air Lines · 1,913 flights during the year · base Atlanta (ATL)
Main route of the year: Atlanta (ATL) → Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW)
2016
Delta Air Lines · 1,692 flights during the year · base Atlanta (ATL)
Main route of the year: Atlanta (ATL) → Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW)
2015
Delta Air Lines · 1,786 flights during the year · base Atlanta (ATL)
Main route of the year: Atlanta (ATL) → Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW)
2014
Delta Air Lines · 1,489 flights during the year · base Atlanta (ATL)
Main route of the year: Memphis (MEM) → Atlanta (ATL)
48 days inactive
2013
Delta Air Lines · 1,753 flights during the year · base Atlanta (ATL)
Main route of the year: Atlanta (ATL) → Memphis (MEM)
2012
Delta Air Lines · 1,708 flights during the year · base Atlanta (ATL)
Main route of the year: Atlanta (ATL) → Raleigh/Durham (RDU)

Aircraft chronology

Mar 12, 1991
Delivered to McDonnell Douglas Corporation
Delivered to McDonnell Douglas Corporation as N975DL.
Oct 30, 2012
Incident at Cincinnati
On October 30, 2012, the DC-9 88 aircraft (registration N975DL), operated by Delta Air Lines, was involved in an incident at Cincinnati. Source: Delta Air Lines.
Source: Delta Air Lines
Jul 10, 2018
Transferred to Delta Air Lines
Transferred to Delta Air Lines.
Nov 25, 2019
Incident at Atlanta Hartsfield - Jackson (ATL / KATL)
On November 25, 2019, the McDonnell Douglas MD-88 aircraft (registration N975DL), operated by Delta Air Lines, was involved in an incident at Atlanta Hartsfield - Jackson (ATL / KATL) (United States) due to a problem during towing or pushback. Source: Delta Air Lines.
Source: Delta Air Lines

Operators

1991-03-12
2018-07-10
Delta Air Lines
Registration N975DL · Lessor: Delta

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Cite

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This page was last updated on October 15, 2026

APA

Vuelopedia. (2026, October 15). McDonnell Douglas MD-88 · N975DL · Delta Air Lines. Retrieved October 22, 2026, from https://vuelopedia.org/en/aircraft/MD80-53243

MLA

“McDonnell Douglas MD-88 · N975DL · Delta Air Lines.” Vuelopedia, Fundación Poderia, 15 Oct. 2026, vuelopedia.org/en/aircraft/MD80-53243. Accessed 22 Oct. 2026.

Chicago

Vuelopedia. “McDonnell Douglas MD-88 · N975DL · Delta Air Lines.” Fundación Poderia. Last modified October 15, 2026. https://vuelopedia.org/en/aircraft/MD80-53243.

Harvard

Vuelopedia (2026) McDonnell Douglas MD-88 · N975DL · Delta Air Lines. Available at: https://vuelopedia.org/en/aircraft/MD80-53243 (Accessed: 22 October 2026).

BibTeX

@misc{vuelopedia_en_aircraft_md80_53243,
  author       = {{Vuelopedia}},
  title        = {{McDonnell Douglas MD-88 · N975DL · Delta Air Lines}},
  publisher    = {Fundación Poderia},
  year         = {2026},
  date         = {2026-10-15},
  url          = {https://vuelopedia.org/en/aircraft/MD80-53243},
  howpublished = {\url{https://vuelopedia.org/en/aircraft/MD80-53243}},
  urldate      = {2026-10-22},
  note         = {Accessed 2026-10-22}
}

Wikipedia

{{cite web |url=https://vuelopedia.org/en/aircraft/MD80-53243 |title=McDonnell Douglas MD-88 · N975DL · Delta Air Lines |website=Vuelopedia |publisher=Fundación Poderia |date=2026-10-15 |access-date=2026-10-22 |language=en}}