Bulgarian airline European Air Charter retired its last MD-82 on October 21, 2023, making it the last European operator of the McDonnell Douglas narrowbody type.
The 33.2-year-old aircraft, LZ-LDP (msn 49973), completed its last revenue flight from Hurghada to Varna before retirement.
European Air Charter had a total of nine MD-82s, with the first two retired in 2022 and the remaining seven retired in 2023. The airline now exclusively operates a fleet of ten A320-200s.
ALK Airlines (VBB, Sofia), another Bulgarian ACMI/charter carrier, still has two MD-82s, but they have been mothballed since January 2023.
Previous retirements of other MD-80 series aircraft in Europe include the MD-81 by Air Sweden in 2001, MD-83 by DAT (Denmark) in 2021, MD-87 by AMAC Corporate Jet in 2022, and MD-88 by Bukovyna Airlines in 2013.
The company was formed from the firms of James Smith McDonnell and Donald Wills Douglas in 1967.
