NWA To Phase Out DC10s By January '07

NWA To Phase Out DC10s By January '07
Wed, 28 Jun '06
Last Flight Will Be HNL-MSP

They're some of the oldest aircraft in any domestic passenger carrier's fleet... and soon, they'll be retired. Northwest Airlines announced Wednesday that over the next seven months, it will accelerate the retirement of its remaining 12 DC10-30 aircraft in service.

http://www.aero-news.net/index.cfm?Cont ... 95c0c0cbb&

In 1989, Northwest began acquiring the 273-seat DC10-30, primarily for trans-Atlantic service. Northwest's DC10 fleet peaked in size at 45 aircraft in 2001, consisting of 21 DC10-40s and 24 DC10-30s. It retired the last of its DC10-40s in late 2002.

The airline's remaining 12 DC10 aircraft in service are all from the -30 series, including five of the last six to be built at the then McDonnell Douglas Long Beach, CA production facility.

The last scheduled DC10 flight for Northwest Airlines will be Flight 98, currently scheduled to depart Honolulu at 6:25 p.m. on January 7, 2007, and arrive in the Twin Cities at 6:03 am on January 8.

Sounds like the end of an era with the DC 10. That's one of my favorite planes. I was on Flight 98 from HNL to MSP last September. It was a great flight ending a GREAT business trip to Hawaii!