Boeing 717

Boeing 717
Anna Zvereva from Tallinn, Estonia · CC BY-SA 2.0 · source
Name	Boeing 717
Caption	A Boeing 717-200 in service with an airline
Role	Short-haul jet airliner
Manufacturer	McDonnell Douglas; Boeing
First flight	1998-09-02
Introduced	1999
Produced	1998–2006
Number built	156
Status	In service

Boeing 717 The Boeing 717 is a twin-engine, single-aisle short-haul jetliner originally developed by McDonnell Douglas as the MD-95 and later marketed by Boeing after the merger; it serves regional and domestic routes with a single-class layout and rear-mounted engines. Designed to replace aging fleets from Douglas Aircraft Company lineage, the model entered service in the late 1990s and saw operators across North America, Oceania, and Asia. The 717 is notable for its use of Rolls-Royce turbofan engines and a six-abreast cabin derived from earlier Douglas DC-9 and McDonnell Douglas MD-80 family designs.

Development and design

The program began under McDonnell Douglas as the MD-95, positioned as a modernized descendant of the Douglas DC-9 family and influenced by the McDonnell Douglas MD-80 and McDonnell Douglas MD-90 programs. Development involved engineering teams in Long Beach, California, design offices previously associated with Douglas Aircraft Company, and suppliers such as Rolls-Royce for the BR715 turbofan and Hamilton Sundstrand for auxiliary power units. After the 1997 merger, Boeing acquired the program and rebranded the type while retaining original design work overseen by executives from Harry Stonecipher's tenure. The aircraft features a low-fuselage cross-section inheriting the six-abreast layout from the DC-9 family, a T-tail configuration reminiscent of earlier Douglas DC-9 derivatives, and a reinforced wing adapted for short-field performance. Certification followed testing regimes involving the Federal Aviation Administration and European Aviation Safety Agency standards, with flight-test aircraft visiting facilities in Seattle, St. Louis, and Long Beach.

Variants

The primary production model was the 100-seat narrowbody variant offered as a direct replacement for older Douglas DC-9 and McDonnell Douglas MD-80 series airliners. Proposed stretch and commuter versions were studied during the MD-95 concept phase, drawing on lineage from the McDonnell Douglas MD-11 and design practices used in the Boeing 737 family program planning, but these did not enter production. Corporate shuttle conversions and freighter proposals attracted interest from airlines such as AirTran Airways and leasing firms like Aircastle and GE Capital Aviation Services, while some cargo conversion programs mirrored techniques used on the Boeing 727 freighter conversions.

Operational history

Initial operators included AirTran Airways, which used the type on domestic trunk and regional routes, and later adopters such as Hawaiian Airlines and QantasLink for inter-island and regional services. Fleet management and maintenance practices were informed by legacy support networks associated with McDonnell Douglas and extended through Boeing Commercial Airplanes after the merger. The type competed with regional jets from Bombardier Aerospace and Embraer, and its operational niche focused on short sectors where runway performance and quick turnarounds were priorities. Over the 2000s and 2010s airlines redeployed aircraft across hubs including Atlanta, Honolulu, and Melbourne, and used them for missions formerly performed by Tupolev Tu-154 replacements in some markets. The fleet also saw activity in secondary markets through lessors like Avianca Holdings' leasing partners and charter operators based in New Zealand.

Operators

Major commercial operators have included AirTran Airways, Hawaiian Airlines, QantasLink, and various leasing companies. National and regional carriers in United States, Australia, and parts of Asia and New Zealand maintained active fleets, supported by maintenance organizations such as Lufthansa Technik and aftermarket providers like ST Aerospace. Government and corporate operators occasionally acquired airframes for VIP transport, with procurement involving entities familiar with Raytheon Technologies-era supply chains. As fleets aged, many airframes moved between operators via brokers like AerCap and Avolon.

Aircraft specifications

General characteristics - Crew: two pilots drawn from pools trained at training centers in Atlanta and Seattle. - Capacity: approximately 100 passengers in a single-class layout, comparable to contemporaries from Bombardier Aerospace and Embraer. - Length, wingspan, and height: dimensions evolved from the Douglas DC-9 family baseline with refinements in wing aerodynamics by suppliers such as Boeing Research & Technology.

Performance - Engines: two Rolls-Royce BR715 turbofan engines mounted aft, with support from suppliers including Pratt & Whitney supply-chain partners for components. - Range and speed: optimized for short-haul sectors like those operated by AirTran Airways, Hawaiian Airlines, and QantasLink; speed and fuel consumption competitive with models like the Embraer E-Jet family and Bombardier CRJ series. - Avionics and systems: cockpit suites built with avionics architecture comparable to systems used on late-model McDonnell Douglas aircraft and integrated under Boeing support programs.

Incidents and accidents

A small number of hull losses and incidents involved the type, investigated by authorities including the National Transportation Safety Board and civil aviation agencies in Australia and New Zealand. Accident reports examined factors such as runway excursions, maintenance issues traceable to suppliers like Hamilton Sundstrand and Rolls-Royce, and crew training examined against standards administered by agencies such as the Federal Aviation Administration. Several incidents prompted service bulletins coordinated by Boeing and component manufacturers; outcomes influenced fleet retirements and redistribution handled by operators including AirTran Airways and Hawaiian Airlines.

Category:McDonnell Douglas aircraft Category:Boeing aircraft Category:Twinjets Category:Airliner types