Description

Overview:

The Boeing B717 is a commercial airliner with 100 seats. It was launched in 1995, initially as the MD-95. It is the last vestige of the McDonnell Douglas brand, which was acquired by Boeing in 1997. Originally, the designation “717” was to be assigned to the military version of B707 called C-135. As this version is not used, the designation was therefore returned to the MD-95. Its first flight took place on October 2, 1998, and it was commissioned on October 12, 1999

Commercial Features:

Unfortunately, the B717 has never been able to reach its target due to the strong competition from the Canadian Bombardier CRJ, the Airbus A318, and the Brazilian Embraer ERJ170. Cessation of the aircraft was publicly announced in mid-January 2005 by Alan Mulally, president of Boeing Commercial Aviation Division. This decision had been made at the end of 2001, and several hundred million US dollars had already been planned for this. The last Boeing 717 was delivered in May 2006 to AirTran Airways.

In total, 137 orders were placed for the B717, 6 of which were in 2001 and 8 in 2004. In January 2005, there were 35 aircraft to be delivered. The shutdown of the Boeing 717’s production resulted in an overall loss of 295 million euros for 2006 and 2007. The Boeing 717 production line was switched over to the new Boeing 737, which targets the market for aircraft with 100 to 215 seats.

Technical Features:

The B717 carries a crew of 2 people for 125 passengers. It has a length of 37.81 meters, and a wingspan of 28.45 meters. Its height is 8.92 meters. Its cruising speed is Mach 0.77, (917 km/h). It is equipped with two Rolls Royce engines. Its main customers are Delta Airlines, Volotea, QantasLink, Hawaiian Airlines and Turkmenistan Airlines. It is the smallest of its range.