** Updated April 17, 2020 **
This aircraft was retired by Delta in March, 2020.
It wasn’t the greatest day for aviation photography, to say the least. We photographed N967DL on November 21, 2017 while plane spotting at Buffalo Niagara International Airport (BUF). The Delta Air Lines McDonnell Douglas MD-88 is a trooper, having flown for the airline since 1990. Plans are for Delta to phase out their large fleet of MD-88 aircraft by 2020.
For full-size, high resolution versions for any of the photos in the image gallery, simply click on the individual pictures. See below for more detailed information on N967DL, the McDonnell Douglas MD-88 model in general and the airline.
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N967DL
MD-88
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N967DL Delta Air Lines McDonnell Douglas MD-88 Image Gallery
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N967DL
N967DL performed its maiden flight on November 15, 1990 and was delivered to Delta Air Lines on December 14, 1990. The McDonnell Douglas MD-88 is configured for a maximum total of 149 passengers with 16 seats in first class, 25 more in premium economy and 108 economy class seats. This is one of 106 in the main Delta fleet with phase outs planned by 2020 (Update April 17, 2020: There are now just 26 still in the fleet).
On November 16, 2014, N967DL was flying from Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina to Atlanta, Georgia. On the initial climb, the airliner flew through a flock of geese with several ingested into one of the engines. The climb was stopped at 3,000 feet and the MD-88 returned to the point of departure.
See more aircraft at our Delta Air Line Fleet Page.
Access all our featured aircraft at the Airplane Index Page.
MD-88
The MD-88 was the last variant of the McDonnell Douglas MD-80 Family. The maiden flight for this aircraft took place on August 15, 1987 and the first was delivered to launch customer Delta Air Lines on December 19, 1987. Delta remains the top operator of this model with 106 still in service of the 150 total that were delivered. The last to be delivered went to Onur Air in June, 1997. Onur Air is a Turkish airline founded in 1992 and headquartered in Istanbul, Turkey. That airline no longer flies the MD-88.
The airliner is 45 metres or 148 feet in length with a wingspan of 33 metres or 108 feet. At the tail, the MD-88 stands nine metres or 30 feet in height. The flight range is 4,720 kilometres.
Delta Air Lines
The airline was founded in 1924 as Huff Daland Dusters and commenced operations as Delta Air Lines in 1929. Headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, Delta is a founding member of the SkyTeam Alliance. Other founding members include AeroMexico, Air France and Korean Air. There are now 20 full members and the alliance is headquartered at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol in the Netherlands.
The main Delta fleet has nearly 890 aircraft flying to 325 destinations around the world. The highest capacity airliner in the fleet is the Airbus A350-900. The most numerous in the fleet is the Boeing 737-900ER. All their Boeing 747-400 airplanes were phased out with the last retired in 2017.