AA to Phase out MD-80's, 88's
Fort Worth-based American Airlines hit a milestone in its fleet replacement program this week with the retirement of 20 McDonnell Douglas MD-80s in one day — one of the largest single-day fleet phase-outs.
The aircraft, once a workhorse of the fleet, are not being replaced on a one-for-one basis. The Aug. 23 retirements are part of a broader plan that combines the fleet replacement plans that American and U.S. Airways had in place before those airlines merged in 2013.
By the end of 2016, American will have 52 MD-80s left in a fleet that at one point had more than 350 planes of that type.
The average age of the 20 outbound jets is about 23 years old, according to FlightRadar24. They are being replaced eventually by newer Boeing 737s and Airbus A320s. There will be at least some MD-80s in the American fleet through the summer of 2018, American says. Many of the planes were initially put into service in the late 1980s.
American spokesman Josh Freed said the time was right to retire the 20 MD-80s en mass because the summer travel season is winding down and American doesn’t need as many aircraft to fly its fall schedule.
American is retiring the aircraft to the Roswell International Air Center in New Mexico, where they could be sold to another airline or used for replacement parts.
The MD-80s will be replaced by more fuel-efficient Airbus A319s.
