‘There’s No Such Thing as an Old Airplane’: VP, Engineering, American Airlines

ST. LOUIS
September 4, 2019.American Airlines retires the classic McDonnell Douglas 140-seat MD-80 planes.

American Airlines has been phasing out its MD-80 aircraft. The last of its 26 aircraft took its final flight from St. Louis-Lambert International Airport. These planes served American Airlines for more than 35 years. The aeroplane, nicknamed Super 80 by the airline, has been with the Airline since 1983. Then, the airline used to operate just three of them. In 20 years period, the airline had 362 such planes. This was nearly one-third of all the MD-80s ever made. The MD-80s, went on to become the workhorses of the American Airline fleet. The MD-80s literally made the TWA.

Captain William Jagust, American Airlines pilot, having 14,000 hours of flying this plane said, “I’ve always taken off with two engines running and landed with two engines running.”

John Beavers, vice president of engineering at American Airlines believes that there is no such thing as an old aeroplane. “All (planes) have to meet the same standard; out of the factory or flying for us 30 years,” he says.

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The MD-80s are being retired to Roswell, New Mexico, where they perhaps will be deployed as cargo planes. They, indeed, are quality aircraft.

Headquartered in St. Louis, the MD-80s took TWA to a top airline. The MD-80 was a part of the fabric of St. Louis.

Over the past few years, American has been replacing the ageing, MD-80s with the newer, fuel-efficient 160-seat Boeing 737-800s. However, the MD-80 was one of the most fuel-efficient aircraft when it was first introduced. At present, the airline operates 300 Boeing 737-800s and has orders for 100 Boeing 737 MAX 8s.
“Since 2013, American has invested more than $28 billion in its product and people and now flies the youngest fleet among US network carriers,” the airline said in a press release.
Delta Air Lines still operates MD-88s, and MD-80s are still in operation overseas, so it’s not a final goodbye for MD-80s. It signals the end of an era for American Airlines’ Super 80 planes.

source https://ncairways.co/american-airlines-md-80-planes/