Forgotten? Here’s What Happened To The McDonnell Douglas MD-95

In the early 1990s, McDonnell Douglas envisioned a modern successor to its venerable DC-9 family, a nimble and fuel-efficient aircraft that would be carefully tailored for the 100-seat short-haul market. This vision took shape as the MD-95, a clean-sheet design that is aimed at filling a niche that larger jets like the Boeing 737 or the Airbus A320 were not optimized for. But by the time the type was ready to fly, the landscape of global aviation had significantly changed. In 1997, McDonnell Douglas was absorbed into Boeing, and the MD-95 program was carried into the Boeing portfolio, and it was quickly given a new name. Today, the jet is remembered by history as the Boeing 717.