Today marks 31 years since the McDonnell Douglas MD-11 performed its maiden flight. The trijet took to the skies for the first time on January 10th, 1990 would be introduced into service later that year with Finnair. Let’s take a look at the story of the widebody aircraft.
Taking it a step further
The plane was famously a derivative of the DC-10. It was 18.6 feet (5.6 meters) longer than its predecessor and could hold approximately 50 more passengers onboard. The jet was built in Long Beach, California by a global network of subcontractors and suppliers.
Boeing, which took over production after the merger with McDonnell Douglas, highlights that the MD-11 was available in four variants. These models came in the form of passenger, all freighter, convertible freighter, and combi. The latter saw travelers and cargo sat on the main deck while there was additional freight stored in the deck below. Furthermore, there were extended-range (ER) options on all of the available variants.
“Seating capacities on the standard airplane varied from 285 in a three-class arrangement to 410 in an all-economy configuration. Advances in aerodynamics, propulsion, aircraft systems, cockpit avionics and interior design contributed to the performance and operating economy of all MD-11 models,” Boeing shares on its website.
“Aerodynamic improvements included winglets and a redesigned wing trailing edge, a smaller horizontal tail with integral fuel tanks and an extended tailcone. These features reduced drag, saved fuel and added range.”
Plenty of attention
The MD-11 program was officially launched after a special McDonnell Douglas board meeting in December 1986. According to the Los Angeles Times, the company said it received orders from 12 customers for a total of 52 units. That month, Alitalia placed a $1.5-billion order for six MD-11s and 10 MD-82s.
Other customers at the time were Scandinavian Airlines System (SAS) with 12 British Caledonian Airways with nine, and Japan’s Mitsui conglomerate with five.
The first MD-11 flight was initially planned to take place in March 1989. However, there were several issues with the production process, delaying the heavily antiquated event. Subsequently, just less than a year later, the plane made its maiden flight.
New opportunities
The MD-11 played an important role for airlines to develop at the beginning of the 1990s. Notably, the likes of Delta Air Lines used them for expansion on long-haul transoceanic routes. The Atlanta-based carrier took delivery of its first of 17 units in December 1990. At the time of the plane’s arrival, former Delta chairman and CEO Ron Allen spoke about the potential of the aircraft.
“These will be among the first MD-11s to go into service and will allow Delta to continue growing in the Pacific,” Allen said, as shared by the Delta Flight Museum.
“With these leased aircraft, we can initiate MD-11 service in the Los Angeles-Tokyo route early in 1991, while we await the delivery of MD-11s previously ordered, the first of which will not be delivered until later in the year.”
174 MD-11s arrived at the facilities of over 20 different airlines across the globe by January 1998. They could be seen at over 100 airports in 55 nations. Moreover, during this period, they were operating on over 270 scheduled daily services. Notably, more than 2.7 million revenue flight-hours and 1.3 billion statute miles were conducted with the jets thanks to their feet of serving just under 70 million passengers.
A short-lasting buzz
Nonetheless, the MD-11 did not perform as well as its manufacturers would have helped. The aircraft’s engines were designed to provide maximum efficiency in their thrust class with fuel burn reductions compared to widebody trijets at the time. However, the plane ultimately didn’t meet the high expectations of airlines. Airlines quickly favored powerhouses such as the Boeing 767, Boeing 777, and Airbus A330.
Breakthroughs with ETOPS approval helped twinjets tp take over many of the routes that trijets would have traditionally conducted. For example, Delta Air Lines admitted that it stopped flying with the plane in favor of the 767 and 777.
The production cycle of the MD-11 ended only a decade after the plane’s debut. Boeing its production program in 2000 after a total of 200 units were completed. Subsequently, the last delivery of the plane occurred on February 22nd, 2001.
Still has a role to play
Today, only a handful of airlines continue to operate the MD-11. Moreover, they are primarily used for cargo services. Current holders of the type include Federal Express, Lufthansa Cargo, United Parcel Service, and Western Global Airlines.
Altogether, trijets are increasingly becoming a sight of the past with twinjets continuing to dominate the skies. However, it is great to see that the type still has an important purpose in society with cargo becoming more vital over the last year.
What are your thoughts about the McDonnell Douglas MD-11? Did you ever fly on the aircraft over the years? Let us know what you think of the model in the comment section.
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