Another Mad Dog Bites The Dust: Danish Air Transport Retires MD-80

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Today, another McDonnell Douglas MD-80 was retired. Danish Air Transport (DAT) said goodbye to its last unit of the veteran narrowbody type with a special flight to and from Copenhagen, Denmark.

MD-83
A pair of PW JT8D-219 engines power this 31-year old McDonnell Douglas MD-83. Photo: DAT

The final flight

DAT is a Vamdrup, Denmark-based airline that operates both scheduled and chartered passenger and cargo flights. The carrier’s last remaining MD-83 has the capacity for 111 passengers, with 21 economy and 90 business seats in the cabin. Before the last call, the plane was flying to the likes of Palma De Mallorca, Spain and Pisa, Italy in recent weeks.

The airline offered the chance for the public to hop on board this final trip in Denmark. For 1,990 DKK ($310), passengers would receive a ticket to fly, drinks, snacks, a special t-shirt, and an MD safety on board card.

“Before it goes away you can join us in a very special farewell flight. On October 16th 2021 at 14:00 CET, we will together with DAT have a farewell flight to the last McDonnell Douglas MD-83 in Denmark. The flight will be the last special farewell flight and will start and land in Copenhagen Airport (CPH),” InsideFlyer shared via EventsFrame.

“The DAT MD-83 have the serial number MSN 49936 and was finalised on the production line in 1989. The first flight was in 1990. Everything from the routing to what will happen onboard will be special – so you do not want to miss out.”

Flight DX1 took of from CPH at 14:12 to land back at 15:35. The total flight duration was one hour and 23 minutes.

More on the aircraft

According to ch-aviation, registration OY-RUE joined DAT on January 24th, 2010. Before that, the aircraft held registration YR-HBZ with Jetran Air Spanair, AOM French Airlines, and Sunway Airlines were other holders of the plane. It was MyTravel Airways that introduced the unit, receiving it back in November 1990.

The MD-80 has been an incredibly popular aircraft over the decades. Even in recent years, it could be seen on major commercial routes across the United States. However, Allegiant Air phased out the plane in 2018, American Airlines performed its final MD-80 flight in September 2019, and Delta Air Lines retired its units in the summer of 2020.

American Airlines MD-80
A total of 1,191 MD-80s were produced between 1979 and 1999. Photo: Getty Images

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The type is still going

USA Jet Airlines, Aeronaves TSM, ATA Airlines, LASER Airlines, World Atlantic Airlines are some of the primary operators today. Approximately 160 units are still in service across the industry.

Delta MD-88
With the likes of Delta retiring the type, it’s harder to spot the aircraft at airports, but the model is still active across other fleets. Photo: Getty Images

Presently, the MD-80 is mainly deployed on cargo operations. Commercial passenger airlines are opting to go for more modern and efficient solutions on the market in the current era.

What are your thoughts about DAT’s final MD-80 flight? Have you flown on the Mad Dog over the years? If so, share your experience with us. Let us know what you think of the plane and its operations in the comment section.



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