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McDonnell Douglas MD-88 · N981DL · 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

MD80-53268Scrapped
RegistrationUSN981DL
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
MSN53268
Hex / ICAO 24-bitADAF31
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 YorkDTWDetroitMIAMiamiMSPMinneapolisCVGCincinnatiJFKNew YorkDCAWashingtonBDLHartfordDFWDallas/Fort WorthMCOOrlandoBOSBostonMEMMemphisBWIBaltimoreFLLFort LauderdaleCHSCharlestonTPATampaPHLPhiladelphiaORDChicagoSAVSavannahPBIWest Palm Beach/Palm Beach

Flight logbook

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

2019
Delta Air Lines · 1,071 flights during the year · base Atlanta (ATL)
Main route of the year: Atlanta (ATL) → Charleston (CHS)
2018
Delta Air Lines · 1,979 flights during the year · base Atlanta (ATL)
Main route of the year: Atlanta (ATL) → Indianapolis (IND)
2017
Delta Air Lines · 1,831 flights during the year · base Atlanta (ATL)
Main route of the year: Baltimore (BWI) → 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)
47 days inactive
2014
Delta Air Lines · 1,645 flights during the year · base Atlanta (ATL)
Main route of the year: Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW) → Atlanta (ATL)
2013
Delta Air Lines · 1,691 flights during the year · base Atlanta (ATL)
Main route of the year: Atlanta (ATL) → Washington (DCA)
2012
Delta Air Lines · 1,588 flights during the year · base Atlanta (ATL)
Main route of the year: Atlanta (ATL) → Raleigh/Durham (RDU)

Aircraft chronology

Apr 29, 1991
Delivered to McDonnell Douglas Corporation
Delivered to McDonnell Douglas Corporation as N981DL.
Jan 6, 1995
Incident at Monroe
On January 6, 1995, the McDonnell Douglas MD-88 aircraft (registration N981DL), operated by Delta Air Lines, was involved in an incident at Monroe (United States) due to a ground collision with another aircraft. Source: Delta Air Lines.
Source: Delta Air Lines
Jul 22, 2010
Transferred to Delta Air Lines
Transferred to Delta Air Lines.
Sep 7, 2014
Incident at Manchester
On September 7, 2014, the DC-9 88 aircraft (registration N981DL), operated by Delta Air Lines, was involved in an incident at Manchester. Source: Delta Air Lines.
Source: Delta Air Lines

Operators

1991-04-29
2010-07-22
Delta Air Lines
Registration N981DL · 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 · N981DL · Delta Air Lines. Retrieved October 24, 2026, from https://vuelopedia.org/en/aircraft/MD80-53268

MLA

“McDonnell Douglas MD-88 · N981DL · Delta Air Lines.” Vuelopedia, Fundación Poderia, 15 Oct. 2026, vuelopedia.org/en/aircraft/MD80-53268. Accessed 24 Oct. 2026.

Chicago

Vuelopedia. “McDonnell Douglas MD-88 · N981DL · Delta Air Lines.” Fundación Poderia. Last modified October 15, 2026. https://vuelopedia.org/en/aircraft/MD80-53268.

Harvard

Vuelopedia (2026) McDonnell Douglas MD-88 · N981DL · Delta Air Lines. Available at: https://vuelopedia.org/en/aircraft/MD80-53268 (Accessed: 24 October 2026).

BibTeX

@misc{vuelopedia_en_aircraft_md80_53268,
  author       = {{Vuelopedia}},
  title        = {{McDonnell Douglas MD-88 · N981DL · Delta Air Lines}},
  publisher    = {Fundación Poderia},
  year         = {2026},
  date         = {2026-10-15},
  url          = {https://vuelopedia.org/en/aircraft/MD80-53268},
  howpublished = {\url{https://vuelopedia.org/en/aircraft/MD80-53268}},
  urldate      = {2026-10-24},
  note         = {Accessed 2026-10-24}
}

Wikipedia

{{cite web |url=https://vuelopedia.org/en/aircraft/MD80-53268 |title=McDonnell Douglas MD-88 · N981DL · Delta Air Lines |website=Vuelopedia |publisher=Fundación Poderia |date=2026-10-15 |access-date=2026-10-24 |language=en}}