McDonnell Douglas DC-9

Narrow-body jet

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Busiest US routes for McDonnell Douglas DC-9, by departures: HAV–MIA, MIA–SNU, HOG–MIA, CMW–MIA, CUR–MIA, SNU–TPA, HAV–TPA, HOG–TPA, CAP–MIA, MIA–SCU, MIA–TPA, MIA–NAS, CCS–MIA, IAD–MIA, MIA–SDQMIAHAVTPASNUHOGCMWCURCAPSCU
The busiest US routes for the McDonnell Douglas DC-9, by departures — line weight is departures flown, dots are the airports it connects. Great-circle paths from US DOT T-100, trailing 12 months through July 2026.
Passengers flown a year
138.4K
50th-most common US type
Airframes in US fleets
14
US operators
3
Airports served
7
Countries
3
Load factor
39.0%

Where the McDonnell Douglas DC-9 flies

Filed traffic data

The operators table below counts the registered McDonnell Douglas DC-9 airframes each airline owns (US DOT Form 41). These figures are how much the type actually flew — departures, seats, and passengers filed with US DOT T-100 over the trailing 12 months, not fleet size.

Departures flown

2,678

July 2026

Seats flown

414,315

Passengers

138,443

Load factor

39.0%

RPM ÷ ASM

Block hours

4,377

Busiest McDonnell Douglas DC-9 routes

The McDonnell Douglas DC-9's busiest US routes over the trailing 12 months, by departures.

The longest and shortest McDonnell Douglas DC-9 flights

The two ends of the type's working envelope, from the routes it actually flew — not what the airframe is certified to do.

Longest route flown

1,192 mi

Willemstad – Miami (CUR–MIA)

3h 11m block · 284 departures · 56% load

Flown by World Atlantic Airlines.

Shortest route flown

228 mi

Miami – Santa Clara (MIA–SNU)

1h 10m block · 381 departures · 25% load

Flown by World Atlantic Airlines. Also one of the type's busiest routes anywhere in the US — a short hop worked like a bus line.

Source: US DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics, T-100 Segment. Data through July 2026.

Airports the McDonnell Douglas DC-9 serves

The McDonnell Douglas DC-9 serves 7 US airports across 3 countries. The busiest, by departures:

  • MIA

    Miami

    897 departures · 5 routes · 1 operator

    35.8%

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  • HAV

    Havana

    379 departures · 2 routes · 1 operator

    15.1%

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  • TPA

    Tampa

    355 departures · 3 routes · 1 operator

    14.2%

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  • SNU

    Santa Clara

    330 departures · 2 routes · 1 operator

    13.2%

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  • HOG

    Holguin

    257 departures · 2 routes · 1 operator

    10.3%

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  • CMW

    Camaguey

    143 departures · 1 route · 1 operator

    5.7%

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  • CUR

    Willemstad

    142 departures · 1 route · 1 operator

    5.7%

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Who flies the McDonnell Douglas DC-9

Two questions in one table. Airframes is what each carrier reported owning in its US DOT fleet filing; seats flown is how much of the type it actually operated. They can rank differently, and the gap is the interesting part.

Operator
World Atlantic AirlinesWL7414.3K100.0%26.8 yr
Everts Air Cargo5V300.0%12.2 yr
Ameristar Air CargoAMQ4——33.6 yr

Airframes are the latest Form 41 filing; seats flown and share are US DOT T-100 for the type's most-flown operators — a dash means a carrier isn't among them (a freighter operator, or one that flies fewer).

How old is the US McDonnell Douglas DC-9 fleet?

McDonnell Douglas DC-9 — airframes by age (years)

Age is measured from each airframe's delivery date — the FAA airworthiness date where available, otherwise the manufacturer's. Bars share a fixed scale across every fleet page, so two carriers can be compared directly.

Oldest airframeN784TWMcDonnell Douglas DC-949.1 yr · Delivered Aug 30, 1977
Newest airframeN935CEMcDonnell Douglas DC-97.0 yr · Delivered Oct 21, 2019

Monthly McDonnell Douglas DC-9 capacity

280
234
215
240
271
234
159
199
187
257
211
191
AugSepOctNovDecJanFebMarAprMayJunJul
Monthly McDonnell Douglas DC-9 departures across US routes, trailing 12 months through July 2026. Peak month in solid ink.

How common is the McDonnell Douglas DC-9?

The McDonnell Douglas DC-9 makes up 0.2% of all tracked US airline aircraft — the 50th-most common type in service.

Share of all tracked US airline aircraft · top 12 types shown · 118 others hold the remaining 37.5% · McDonnell Douglas DC-9 is the ringed slice at 0.2%

Frequently asked

How many McDonnell Douglas DC-9 are in US airline fleets?

US carriers operate about 14 McDonnell Douglas DC-9 aircraft across 3 airlines, 8 of them in service.

Which airline operates the most McDonnell Douglas DC-9?

World Atlantic Airlines operates the largest US McDonnell Douglas DC-9 fleet, with about 7 aircraft.

What is the busiest McDonnell Douglas DC-9 route?

The busiest US route flown by the McDonnell Douglas DC-9 is HAV–MIA, with about 524 departures over the trailing 12 months.

Which airline flies the McDonnell Douglas DC-9 the most?

World Atlantic Airlines flies the most McDonnell Douglas DC-9 capacity in US service, with about 414.3K seats flown over the trailing 12 months.

How many passengers does the McDonnell Douglas DC-9 carry?

The McDonnell Douglas DC-9 carried about 138.4K passengers on US routes over the trailing 12 months.

What is the longest McDonnell Douglas DC-9 flight?

The longest US route flown by the McDonnell Douglas DC-9 is CUR–MIA, about 1,192 miles, flown by World Atlantic Airlines.

How many airports does the McDonnell Douglas DC-9 serve?

The McDonnell Douglas DC-9 serves about 7 US airports across 3 countries, led by Miami (MIA).

How old is the average McDonnell Douglas DC-9?

The US McDonnell Douglas DC-9 fleet averages about 25.6 yr.

How common is the McDonnell Douglas DC-9 in US fleets?

The McDonnell Douglas DC-9 is the 50th-most common aircraft type in tracked US airline fleets, by number of aircraft.

Inventory: US DOT Form 41 Schedule B-43 (2025). Deliveries: Airbus & Boeing official reports. Registry status: FAA. Last refreshed Oct 1, 2026.