McDonnell Douglas 81
1 for sale, 1 with a US-dollar asking price. Asking prices, not sales.
What does a McDonnell Douglas 81 ask?
Not published
1 for sale now. Asking prices, not sales.
How far does a McDonnell Douglas 81 fly?
Across its 3 catalog variants, book ranges run 2,620–2,830 nm; the DC-9-87 (MD-87) flies furthest, about 6 h 28 min at 438 kt.
Still air, no reserves; catalog confidence medium.
What does a McDonnell Douglas 81 cost to keep?
It depends on how you fly it and where you keep it, so Sprinkle doesn’t give one figure. Work it out on your own numbers.
Go to the cost calculator →Too few US-dollar asking prices to chart this model by year.
Recently listed
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Range by variant
Book ranges from the catalog: still air, full fuel, no reserves, at the confidence shown. Plan with your own numbers.
- DC-9-87 (MD-87)2,830 nm · 438 kt cruise · medium confidence
- DC-9-82 (MD-82)2,660 nm · 438 kt cruise · high confidence
- MD-882,620 nm · 440 kt cruise · high confidence
- DC-9-83 (MD-83)Range not in the catalog · 438 kt cruise · high confidence
The McDonnell Douglas 81 in brief
1 McDonnell Douglas 81 listings are for sale across the sites Sprinkle reads as of Nov 12, 2026, built 1989.
How the McDonnell Douglas 81 performs
By the catalog, the fastest variant cruises at 440 knots.
The longest book range across its variants is 2,830 nautical miles: still air, no reserves.
It seats up to 172 passengers.
Buying a McDonnell Douglas 81
Too few US-dollar asking prices to give a range yet.
Before an offer, check
- A pre-buy inspection by a mechanic who knows the type, chosen by you, not the seller.
- Complete logbooks for the airframe, engines and propellers, with any gaps explained.
- Damage history and any repairs, against the logbooks and the registry record.
- Engine time against the overhaul interval, and the shop that did the last overhaul.
- Airworthiness directives and service bulletins: which apply, and how each was closed.
Figures from the listings Sprinkle reads, read Nov 12, 2026. A market read from asking prices, not an appraisal.
About the McDonnell Douglas 81
- Manufacturer
- McDonnell Douglas
- Category
- Jet airplane
- Variants in the catalog
- 5: DC-9-81 (MD-81), DC-9-82 (MD-82), DC-9-83 (MD-83), DC-9-87 (MD-87), MD-88
- Passengers, at most
- 172
- The farthest the maker says the aircraft can fly on full fuel, in still air with standard reserves. Real trips with passengers and wind come up shorter.
- 2,830 nm
- Cruise speed, fastest
- 440 kt
- The highest altitude at which the aircraft can still climb at 100 feet per minute. Most trips cruise well below it.
- 39,000 ft
- The heaviest the aircraft is certified to weigh at takeoff, with people, bags and fuel on board.
- 72,500 kg (159,835 lb)
- The aviation authority’s approval of an aircraft design, such as the FAA’s or EASA’s. Each model flies under one.
- FAA
From Sprinkle's aircraft catalog. Figures are the highest across the model's variants.
The McDonnell Douglas 81 fleet
- Registered fleet
- 250
- Median age
- 35 years
- Registration changes, past 12 months
- 1
- Most built in the
- 1990s
From the national aircraft registers Sprinkle reads. Read Nov 12, 2026.
McDonnell Douglas 81 type certificates
- DC-9-82 FAA A6WE
- approved Jul 29, 1981 · See Section XII, Model DC-9-81 for JT8D-209 and JT8D-219 engines. · MTOW 68,241 kg · 172 passengers · 2 Pratt and Whitney Turbofan JT8D-209, -217, -217A, -217C, or -219 · Type certificate data sheet (opens in a new tab)
From the regulators' type-certificate data sheets. Figures shown only where the reading is high-confidence.
What one would cost to fly
Put in your own figures; the totals update as you type.
- A month
- $40,083
- A flight hour, all in
- $1,924
- Flying (fuel and reserve)
- $325,000
- Fixed
- $156,000
- Loan
- $0
Fields marked Typical hold a rule-of-thumb figure for a jet: an assumption, not Sprinkle's data. Replace them with your own.
Not a quote: Sprinkle doesn't hold insurance, hangar or maintenance costs. Asking prices, not sales.
From the listings Sprinkle reads for this model. Read Nov 12, 2026.