Mcdonnell Douglas MD-88
The McDonnell Douglas MD-88 added a modernised, more digital cockpit to the well-established MD-80 airframe, along with a distinctive taller, more swept tail fin than earlier MD-80 variants. Delta Air Lines became its single largest operator, building a significant part of its domestic fleet around the type for decades. Its updated cockpit avionics represented a meaningful step up in technology over the earlier MD-81 through MD-87 models. Delta flew its last MD-88s in 2020, among the very final examples of the DC-9 lineage still in scheduled passenger service anywhere in the world.
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Did you know?
McDonnell Douglas rebranded the stretched DC-9-80 as the MD-80 series in 1983; the MD-88 was one of its last major variants before the MD-90.
Specifications
| Length | 45.1 m (148 ft) |
|---|---|
| Wingspan | 32.9 m (108 ft) |
| Height | 9 m (30 ft) |
| Maximum passengers | 172 |
| Persons on board | 142-172 |
| Maximum take-off weight | 67.8 t |
| Range | 2,200 NM (4,074 km) |
| Maximum speed | 500 kt (926 km/h) |
| Service ceiling | 37,000 ft (11,278 m) |
| Optimum ceiling | 33,000 ft (10,058 m) |
| Rate of climb | 2,700 ft/min (13.7 m/s) |
| Take-off distance | 2,400 m (7,874 ft) |
| Landing distance | 1,429 m (4,688 ft) |
| Fuel capacity | 22,100 l |
| Engines | 2x Pratt & Whitney JT8D-219 |
Curated by CatchFlights from manufacturer documents, ICAO Doc 8643 and reference works; values are left out where no source could confirm them. Sources are listed on our credits page.
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