European Air Charter: McDonnell-Douglas MD82 phase-out is not fixed

The Bulgarian airline European Air Charter is one of the last European operators of the McDonnell Douglas MD-82. In the past few weeks, rumors have been circulating that the rear-wheel drive jets are about to leave the fleet.

European Air Charter currently operates a fleet composed of 16 aircraft. These are eight Airbus A320s and McDonnell Douglas MD-82s. The average age of the two sub-fleets differs only slightly. The European manufacturer's machines are on average 27,8 years old and those of McDonnell Douglas 30,2 years. With MD82 one is active on behalf of Tui from Linz and Graz, among other places.

When asked, European Air Charter would not confirm that it would part with the McDonnell-Douglas aircraft. However, no information has yet been given as to whether and, if so, how many MD-82s will be flown in the summer of 2023. The company also did not comment on a theoretically possible successor model. A spokesman only said: "The flight planning of European Air Charter for next year has not yet been finalized, so that no statement can be made at this time".