The McDonnell Douglas MD-80 series is one of the most widely produced rear-engined airliner families in aviation history. Later this year, we will see the 43rd anniversary of the type's first flight, which took place on October 18th, 1979. Despite the type's age, it remains relatively widespread in terms of active examples. Let's take a look at where you can find these and at which exact carriers.

The MD-80 family in a nutshell

Across two decades of production, McDonnell Douglas built nearly 1,200 MD-80 aircraft. The series was diverse, and it offered different models for different purposes. McDonnell Douglas produced the following five different variants.

  • MD-81 - Original production version.
  • MD-82 - More powerful engines for 'hot and high' operations.
  • MD-83 - Increased fuel capacity for longer-range operations.
  • MD-87 - Short fuselage variant.
  • MD-88 - Features electronic instead of analog instruments.

The MD-80 was developed from McDonnell Douglas's DC-9 series, with which it shares its twinjet rear-engined configuration. Owing to the timing of its launch, the family's main rivals were aircraft from the Airbus A320 and Boeing 737 Classic families. While production ended 23 years ago, you can still find the type at a diverse range of carriers today, serving as both passenger and cargo aircraft.

DHL DC-9 Getty
Apart from the MD-87 model, MD-80 series aircraft are longer than DC-9 (pictured) designs. Photo: Getty Images

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The largest operator

According to data from ch-aviation.com, there are 77 active examples of the MD-80 left in the world today. As is common with aging aircraft, some of these have been converted for use as freighters. Among these are those belonging to Mexican carrier Aeronaves TSM, which even also still flies planes from the older DC-9 family.

In terms of Aeronaves TSM's MD-80 models, it flies four converted MD-82SFs. These have an average age of 33 years and joined the airline between 2013 and 2018. Before doing so, they also served Alitalia and US Airways.

However, the Mexican carrier's most numerous design is the MD-83SF, of which it has 10 active examples. These aircraft are slightly younger, clocking in at 30.9 years old on average. Prior to their time at Aeronaves TSM, they flew for the likes of American Airlines, Avianca, Trans World Airlines (TWA), and US Airways. The first example joined in 2014, with the most recent pair coming last year.

USA Jet Airlines MD-83
USA Jet Airlines' single cargo-configured MD-83 is now inactive. Photo: Eric Salard via Flickr

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Other non-passenger carriers

Aeronaves TSM isn't the only current MD-80 family operator to deploy the type as a cargo aircraft. Indeed, Everts Air Cargo also flies three active examples of the MD-83SF. This carrier is known for having a classic fleet, and, at 29.5 years old on average, its 'Mad Dogs' are actually among its younger aircraft. It also has a single active MD-82SF (35 years old), and two inactive MD-82s.

Meanwhile, USA Jet Airlines has four active MD-88SFs on its books, aged 31.6 years old on average. As seen in the photograph above, it also has an inactive MD-83SF with the registration N831US. Clocking in at 32 years old, it previously flew for AeroCancún, Oasis International Airlines, and Spanair.

Erickson Air Tanker MD-87
Erickson Air Tanker deploys the MD-87 on firefighting missions. Photo: Glenn Beltz via Flickr

Of course, cargo isn't the only purpose for which non-passenger carriers can utilize the MD-80. Indeed, Oregon is home to Erickson Aero Tanker, which uses its six active MD-87Ts in the domain of aerial firefighting. The operator states that this short-fuselage rear-engined twinjet is "the most versatile fire bomber available."

Iran: an MD-80 hotspot for passengers

Moving onto the use of the MD-80 in the passenger sector, Iran is the place to go if you're after a ride on one. As Simple Flying explored in 2021, the series accounts for more than 40% of the country's domestic capacity. But with which airlines?

One such carrier is ATA Airlines, whose fleet features two active (and six inactive) MD-83s, with an average age of 27.3 years old. Iran Airtour Airlines also has two active aircraft from this family, namely an MD-82 and an MD-83.

ATA Airlines MD-83
Two of ATA Airlines' MD-83s are presently listed as active. Photo: Anna Zvereva via Flickr

Another Iranian operator with two active MD-80 aircraft is Kish Airlines, with one MD-82 and one MD-83 presently being operational. This is also the case at Caspian Airlines, which has one active example of each of these models.

Meanwhile, Taban Air has a single MD-83 on its books, as well as being a rare operator of an active example of the MD-88. Being a more modern iteration, it and its four inactive counterparts are just 25.3 years old on average. Finally, Zagros Airlines flies three active examples of the MD-82 alongside a single 33.6-year-old MD-82, and Chabahar Airlines has a sole operational MD-82.

Kish Airlines MD-82
The presence of the MD-80 family at carriers like Kish Air has seen it grow a strong market share in Iran. Photo: Alan Wilson via Flickr

Significant MD-80 operators elsewhere

The versatility of the MD-80 family has seen it used all over the world. Even today, its geographical spread remains significant, despite the number of active examples having now dipped below the 100 mark. Let's conclude by taking a look at some of the largest active MD-80 family fleets that operate elsewhere.

Starting in Bulgaria, European Air Charter has seven active (plus two inactive) MD-82s in its fleet. This airline was known as Bulgarian Air Charter until May last year, and its Mad Dogs are 30.6 years old on average, making them three years older by average age than its Airbus A320s. Historically, the airline also flew the MD-83. Bulgarian carrier ALK Airlines also flies two MD-82s for Air Bucharest.

Bulgarian Air Charter MD-82
Bulgaria is the place to go for MD-80 action in Europe. Photo: Jake Hardiman | Simple Flying

Meanwhile, you can also find a five-strong active MD-80 family fleet at Laser Airlines. This Venezuelan operator flies three MD-82s, one MD-83, and even a single MD-81. According to ch-aviation's data, the only other active MD-81 left belongs to US carrier Olympia Aviation and flies under the registration N682RW.

There remains a wide selection of smaller fleets, but let's end by touching upon the US's largest active passenger MD-80 operator. Based in Miami, Florida, charter carrier World Atlantic Airlines has four active MD-83s at its disposal, plus three inactive examples. These aircraft are 30.6 years old on average, and seat between 146 and 155 passengers, depending on their exact configuration.

What do you make of the MD-80 family? Have you ever flown on one at one of these airlines? Let us know your thoughts and experiences in the comments!