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Advertisement: Seattle-based Alaska Airlines presently operates a diverse fleet of jet and turboprop-powered airliners. This includes models from the likes of Airbus, Boeing, de Havilland, and Embraer. However, did you know that the carrier also previously operated aircraft from McDonnell Douglas’s rear-engined MD-80 series? Let’s take a closer look at the history of these planes, and where they ended up once their time at Alaska Airlines ended. The MD-83 was Alaska Airlines’ most numerous variant of the MD-80 family. Photo: Getty Images A brief history of the MD-80 at Alaska Airlines The McDonnell Douglas MD-80 series was a development of its existing rear-engined DC-9. It entered service in October 1980, when Swissair first flew the original MD-81 variant. McDonnell Douglas produced nearly 1,200 MD-80 series aircraft between 1979 and 1999, and the type still sees limited service today. But how does it fit into Alaska Airlines‘ story? ....
MIAMI – Today in Aviation, the McDonnell Douglas DC-9 took to the skies for the first time in 1965, gaining its type certificate nine months later. During the 1950s, there was a growing demand for economic aircraft for frequent short-haul flights to small airports with short runways. In order to meet this demand, the Douglas Aircraft Company (DAC) worked on a design to complement its DC-8 family aircraft. Initially, DAC designed a four-engine aircraft that did not attract enough interest from customers. Then, in 1960, subscribed a two-year contract with France’s Sud Aviation to support, produce and market a licensed version of its Caravelle in the United States. However, the venture did not prosper as expected, and Douglas went back to the design board once the Caravelle contract expired. ....