How Retirements shows up across the archive

Range band

5,750 nm

Notable operators

Pan Am · TWA · Lufthansa · BOAC

BoeingAirlinerRetired

Boeing 720 family

The lighter short-to-medium-haul 707 derivative built for routes that did not need full intercontinental heft.

First flight

1959

Seating

131 to 149

Forum pulse

Range band

3,500 nm

Notable operators

United · American · Western · Middle East Airlines

BoeingAirlinerRetired

Boeing 727 family

The rear-engined trijet that made medium-haul airline flying feel both rugged and glamorous.

First flight

1963

Seating

106 to 189

Forum pulse

Retirements Operators Routes Long-haul

Range band

2,500 nm

Notable operators

Eastern · American · United · Lufthansa

BoeingAirlinerPartially retired

Boeing 747 family

The upper-deck widebody icon that defined how long-haul air travel looked for decades.

First flight

1969

Seating

366 to 467

Forum pulse

Range band

8,000 nm

Notable operators

Pan Am · British Airways · Lufthansa · Korean Air

DouglasAirlinerRetired

Douglas DC-8 family

The Douglas long-range quadjet that kept Boeing’s first jetliners from having the market to themselves.

First flight

1958

Seating

117 to 269

Forum pulse

Range band

5,200 nm

Notable operators

United · Delta · KLM · Japan Air Lines

McDonnell DouglasAirlinerRetired

McDonnell Douglas DC-9 family

The short-haul twinjet that gave the Douglas narrowbody line its core proportions and airport personality.

First flight

1965

Seating

90 to 139

Forum pulse

Retirements Operators Routes

Range band

1,700 nm

Notable operators

Delta · Northwest · SAS · Eastern

McDonnell DouglasAirlinerPartially retired

McDonnell Douglas MD-80 family

A short-haul workhorse remembered for rear-mounted engines, warm cabins, and a surprisingly emotional afterlife.

First flight

1979

Seating

130 to 172

Forum pulse

Range band

2,900 nm

Notable operators

American · Delta · SAS · Allegiant

McDonnell DouglasAirlinerRetired

McDonnell Douglas MD-90 family

The re-engined final stretch of the MD narrowbody line, quieter and newer but never as numerous as the MD-80.

First flight

1993

Seating

153 to 172

Forum pulse

Range band

2,455 nm

Notable operators

Delta · JAL · Saudi Arabian · China Northern

McDonnell DouglasAirlinerRetired

McDonnell Douglas MD-11 family

The final Douglas trijet, built for long-haul passenger and freight work at the edge of a changing market.

First flight

1990

Seating

285 to 410

Forum pulse

Range band

6,700 nm

Notable operators

Swissair · KLM · Delta · Finnair

de HavillandAirlinerRetired

de Havilland Comet family

The first jet airliner to enter service and the aircraft that made the world confront both the promise and the risk of pressurized jet transport.

First flight

1949

Seating

36 to 119

Forum pulse

Range band

2,800 nm

Notable operators

BOAC · BEA · Dan-Air

Sud AviationAirlinerRetired

Sud Aviation Caravelle family

The rear-engined short-haul jetliner that gave Europe one of its most elegant first-generation passenger aircraft.

First flight

1955

Seating

80 to 140

Forum pulse

Range band

1,800 nm

Notable operators

Air France · SAS · Swissair · Finnair

ConvairAirlinerRetired

Convair 880 / 990 family

The fast but commercially difficult U.S. jetliners that chased speed more aggressively than the market rewarded.

First flight

1959

Seating

88 to 149

Forum pulse

Range band

3,200 nm

Notable operators

Delta · TWA · American · Swissair

British Aircraft CorporationAirlinerRetired

BAC One-Eleven family

The compact British short-haul jetliner that brought rear-engined twinjet flying to a wide range of carriers.

First flight

1963

Seating

79 to 119

Forum pulse

Range band

1,480 nm

Notable operators

British United · British Caledonian · Mohawk · Laker

Hawker SiddeleyAirlinerRetired

Hawker Siddeley Trident family

The British trijet built around short-field performance, autopilot sophistication, and airline requirements that later grew beyond it.

First flight

1962

Seating

101 to 180

Forum pulse

Range band

2,400 nm

Notable operators

BEA · CAAC · British Airways

VickersAirlinerRetired

Vickers VC10 family

The elegant rear-engined British long-haul jetliner designed for hot-and-high operations and prestige routes.

First flight

1962

Seating

135 to 174

Forum pulse

Range band

5,850 nm

Notable operators

BOAC · Gulf Air · East African Airways

LockheedAirlinerRetired

Lockheed L-1011 TriStar family

The polished widebody trijet remembered for cabin quietness, smooth flying qualities, and a prestige aura all its own.

First flight

1970

Seating

250 to 400

Forum pulse

Range band

5,400 nm

Notable operators

TWA · Delta · British Airways · Cathay Pacific

AirbusAirlinerRetired

Airbus A300 family

The twin-aisle short-to-medium-haul pioneer that launched Airbus as a serious airliner maker.

First flight

1972

Seating

247 to 345

Forum pulse

Range band

4,050 nm

Notable operators

Air France · Lufthansa · Thai · American

AirbusAirlinerRetired

Airbus A310 family

The shortened Airbus widebody that gave airlines a smaller long-range twin at exactly the right moment.

First flight

1982

Seating

220 to 280

Forum pulse

Retirements Operators Routes Long-haul

Range band

5,150 nm

Notable operators

Lufthansa · Swissair · Air France · Pakistan International

AirbusAirlinerPartially retired

Airbus A340 family

The four-engine Airbus long-haul family that bridged the gap between early twins and later ultra-efficient flagships.

First flight

1991

Seating

239 to 440

Forum pulse

Retirements Preservation / museum Supersonic

Range band

9,000 nm

Notable operators

Lufthansa · Virgin Atlantic · Iberia · Cathay Pacific

Aerospatiale / BACSupersonic passenger jetRetired

Concorde

The supersonic outlier: prestige transport, engineering symbol, and one of aviation’s strongest memory machines.

First flight

1969

Seating

92 to 128

Forum pulse

Range band

3,900 nm

Notable operators

British Airways · Air France

DassaultAirlinerRetired

Dassault Mercure family

The French short-haul airliner that solved its design brief cleanly but arrived in a market that wanted more range.

First flight

1971

Seating

150 to 162

Forum pulse

Retirements Preservation / museum Routes Regional flying

Range band

930 nm

Notable operators

Air Inter

FokkerRegional jetRetired

Fokker F28 Fellowship family

The compact European regional jet that helped define how short-field jet transport could look outside the U.S. majors.

First flight

1967

Seating

65 to 85

Forum pulse

Retirements Operators Routes Regional flying

Range band

1,100 nm

Notable operators

LTU · Braathens · Ansett · Air UK

FokkerRegional jetPartially retired

Fokker 70 / 100 family

The final Fokker jetliners, remembered for crisp short-haul capability and a loyal operator base that outlasted the company itself.

First flight

1986

Seating

79 to 122

Forum pulse

Retirements Operators Routes Regional flying

Range band

2,300 nm

Notable operators

KLM Cityhopper · Austrian · Helvetic · Alliance

British AerospaceRegional jetPartially retired

BAe 146 / Avro RJ family

The high-lift four-engine regional jet family built for city airports, steep approaches, and unusual operating niches.

First flight

1981

Seating

70 to 112

Forum pulse

Retirements Operators Routes Regional flying

Range band

1,800 nm

Notable operators

Swissair · CityJet · Lufthansa CityLine · Brussels Airlines

AntonovRegional jetPartially retired

Antonov An-148 / 158 family

A rough-field-capable regional jet family built for short-haul routes with infrastructure constraints and cold-weather realities.

First flight

2004

Seating

68 to 99

Forum pulse

Range band

2,400 nm

Notable operators

Rossiya · Angara · Cubana · Ukraine International

IlyushinAirlinerRetired

Ilyushin Il-62 family

The long-range Soviet quadjet that gave Aeroflot and allied operators a true intercontinental flagship.

First flight

1963

Seating

168 to 195

Forum pulse

Range band

5,400 nm

Notable operators

Aeroflot · Interflug · Cubana

IlyushinAirlinerRetired

Ilyushin Il-86 family

The Soviet widebody built around self-contained airport handling and high-capacity domestic and regional service.

First flight

1976

Seating

320 to 350

Forum pulse

Range band

2,050 nm

Notable operators

Aeroflot · Atlant-Soyuz

TupolevAirlinerRetired

Tupolev Tu-104 family

One of the world’s first successful jet airliners and the aircraft that put the Soviet Union into scheduled jet service almost immediately after Britain.

First flight

1955

Seating

50 to 100

Forum pulse

Range band

1,700 nm

Notable operators

Aeroflot · CSA

TupolevAirlinerRetired

Tupolev Tu-134 family

The compact Soviet short-haul jetliner that became a fixture across Eastern Bloc and domestic Aeroflot networks.

First flight

1963

Seating

72 to 84

Forum pulse

Range band

1,700 nm

Notable operators

Aeroflot · Interflug · CSA · Balkan

TupolevAirlinerRetired

Tupolev Tu-154 family

The Soviet trijet that became the backbone of medium-haul passenger flying across a vast geography.

First flight

1968

Seating

150 to 180

Forum pulse

Retirements Preservation / museum Supersonic

Range band

2,850 nm

Notable operators

Aeroflot · LOT · Rossiya · UTair

TupolevSupersonic passenger jetRetired

Tupolev Tu-144 family

The Soviet supersonic transport whose brief passenger life still gives it a near-mythic position in jet-age history.

First flight

1968

Seating

120 to 140

Forum pulse

Range band

3,500 nm

Notable operators

Aeroflot

YakovlevAirlinerRetired

Yakovlev Yak-42 family

The Soviet trijet intended to replace earlier short-haul types with better field performance and more modern systems.

First flight

1975

Seating

96 to 120

Forum pulse

Retirements Operators Business aviation Cabins / interior

Range band

1,350 nm

Notable operators

Aeroflot · Saratov Airlines · KrasAir

LockheedBusiness jetPartially retired

Lockheed JetStar family

The first purpose-built dedicated business jet to reach widespread service and define the idea of a corporate aircraft category.

First flight

1957

Seating

8 to 10

Forum pulse

Retirements Operators Business aviation Cabins / interior

Range band

2,500 nm

Notable operators

Corporate operators · U.S. Air Force

DassaultBusiness jetPartially retired

Dassault Falcon 20 family

The twin-engine Falcon that introduced Dassault’s business-jet identity to operators on both sides of the Atlantic.

First flight

1963

Seating

8 to 14

Forum pulse

Retirements Operators Business aviation Cabins / interior

Range band

1,800 nm

Notable operators

Corporate operators · FedEx · French government

GulfstreamBusiness jetPartially retired

Gulfstream II / III family

The early large-cabin Gulfstreams that established the company’s long-range business-jet formula.

First flight

1966

Seating

10 to 19

Forum pulse

Retirements Operators Business aviation Cabins / interior

Range band

3,650 nm

Notable operators

Corporate operators · Government fleets

LearjetBusiness jetPartially retired

Learjet 20 family

The razor-edged Learjets that made small, fast corporate flying look glamorous and urgent in equal measure.

First flight

1963

Seating

6 to 8

Forum pulse

Retirements Operators Business aviation Cabins / interior

Range band

2,000 nm

Notable operators

Corporate operators · Air ambulance

LearjetBusiness jetPartially retired

Learjet 30 / 35 family

The stretched straight-turbojet Learjets that became fixtures in charter, corporate, and special-mission service.

First flight

1973

Seating

6 to 8

Forum pulse