Sun Country Airlines has now been operational for four decades, with the American ultra-low-cost carrier having operated its first commercial flights in January 1983. Earlier today, we explored the story of how the airline came to be, and how it started with just one Boeing 727. However, as Sun Country Airlines grew, so did its fleet, to the extent that it even flew McDonnell Douglas DC-10 widebodies.
The DC-10-10
Sun Country Airlines' most numerous version of the McDonnell Douglas DC-10 widebody was the DC-10-10, which was the trijet's initial production variant. ATDB.aero shows that seven examples of this design served Sun Country over the years. While they were built in the 1970s and 1980s, they came onboard in the 1990s.
Their arrivals spanned a period of more than four years, with the first pair joining the carrier in the summer of 1991. While 1992 marked a hiatus in terms of DC-10-10 deliveries at Sun Country, they resumed in 1993, when another came onboard. 1994 was the busiest year in this regard, with three arrivals, and the last joined in 1995.
Four of these aircraft came to Sun Country on lease from Scanair, and they returned to the Scandinavian charter carrier between 1994 and 1996. A fifth ex-Scanair example stayed until 1998, before moving to Ryan International Airlines. The other pair came from Mexicana and Taino Airways, with the former then joining Midair in 1996. Meanwhile, the latter was scrapped that same year.
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Other passenger-carrying variants
Sun Country Airlines also operated four slightly younger examples of the McDonnell Douglas DC-10-15. Built in 1981 and 1982, these aircraft differed from the DC-10-10 in the sense that they had different engines for hot and high operations.
These four aircraft joined Sun Country in the mid-1990s, with the period of their arrivals spanning from December 1994 to July 1997. Interestingly, all of them had previously served Mexican carriers, namely Aerocancún, Aeroméxico (one each), and Mexicana (two). Their careers ended at Sun Country between September 2000 and January 2002, after which they were scrapped.
The third and final passenger-carrying variant of the McDonnell Douglas DC-10 that Sun Country Airlines flew back in the day was the long-range DC-10-40. This version could fly for up to 5,100 NM (9,400 km), compared to just 3,500 NM (6,500 km) in the case of the DC-10-10. Sun Country's sole example bore the registration N144JC, and served the carrier from 1986 to 1991, when it joined Northwest Airlines.
Four freighters
In addition to the DC-10s that it used to carry passengers, Sun Country Airlines also flew four cargo-carrying examples of the McDonnell Douglas DC-10-30F. Three of these dated back to 1973, while the fourth was built in 1977.
It leased all four of these from Gemini Air Cargo, with the first two coming onboard in November and December of 1995. Within six months, they had been joined by another pair. Sun Country's relationship with the DC-10-30F was a relatively short affair, as it began returning these aircraft to Gemini in November 1996. The final departures took place in April 1997, and all four have now since been scrapped.
What do you make of Sun Country Airlines' widebody fleet history? Did you ever fly on one of the carrier's DC-10s back in the day? Let us know your thoughts and experiences in the comments!
Source: ATDB.aero