The McDonnell Douglas MD-90 is a twin-engine, short- to medium-range, narrow-body jet airliner, and part of the MD-80/90 series—descendants of the original Douglas DC-9. It was designed as a modernized, quieter, more efficient upgrade to the MD-80 series, aiming to compete with newer aircraft like the Boeing 737 Next Gen and Airbus A320.

✈️ Overview:

• Role: Short-to-medium haul passenger jet
• Manufacturer: McDonnell Douglas (later Boeing after the 1997 merger)
• First flight: February 22, 1993
• Introduced: 1995 (Delta Air Lines)
• Production ended: 2000
• Total built: 116 aircraft

🛠️ Key Specs:

• Engines: 2 × IAE V2500-D5 turbofans → (Same engine family used on some A320s)
• Cruise speed: Mach 0.76 (~504 mph / 811 km/h)
• Range: ~2,400 nautical miles (4,444 km)
• Passenger capacity: ~153 in typical 2-class layout (up to 172 max)
• Crew: 2 pilots + 3–4 cabin crew
• Length: 46.5 m (152 ft 6 in)
• Wingspan: 32.9 m (107 ft 10 in)

🔍 Design Features:

• Stretched fuselage – Based on the MD-80, but longer than most variants
• Advanced engines – Quieter and more fuel-efficient than the JT8D engines used on MD-80s
• Glass cockpit – Upgraded avionics with EFIS (Electronic Flight Instrument System)
• T-tail and rear-mounted engines – A legacy of the DC-9 family

🛫 Operators:

• Delta Air Lines was the primary (and largest) customer—operated 71 MD-90s
• Also used by: Japan Airlines Saudia Uni Air (Taiwan)
  • Japan Airlines
  • Saudia
  • Uni Air (Taiwan)
• Most major airlines retired the MD-90 by the late 2010s

🧳 Pros:

• Quieter and more efficient than older MD-80s
• Modern cockpit and systems for its time
• Good short-field performance and climb capability
• Familiarity for airlines already operating DC-9/MD-80 family

❌ Cons:

• Still less efficient than newer 737s and A320s
• Older design limits upgrades and modernization
• Rear-mounted engines made maintenance more difficult compared to wing-mounted engines
• By the late 2000s, it was seen as obsolete

🔄 Legacy:

• The MD-90 was a transitional aircraft—better than the MD-80 but overshadowed by next-gen aircraft
• After Boeing absorbed McDonnell Douglas, the MD-90 (and proposed MD-95) were dropped in favor of the Boeing 737 line
• The MD-95 became the Boeing 717, the last member of the DC-9 family