Biman Bangladesh B777-3E9(ER) S2-AHM taxis a few days prior to delivery as part of Biman Bangladesh’s fleet modernization. Photo: Andre Nordheim – OPShots Contributor
BIRMINGHAM UK, February 20 Airchive – The final scheduled commercial DC-10 flight landed on Thursday February 20th, 2014, ending a forty plus year run of scheduled passenger service around the world. The first scheduled DC-10 flight took place on August 5, 1971, on an American Airlines round trip between Los Angeles and Chicago. The last flight was honored with much publicity. It flew between Biman’s base in Dhaka, Bangladesh, to Birmingham, England, with a refueling stop in Kuwait City. The plane was retired as part of Biman’s modernization plan, helping the airline keep up with the economy. Operating the airplane had become a challenge for the airline. Rising fuel costs to feed the airplane’s three aging and comparatively inefficient engines proved costly. Sourcing spare parts to keep the airplane in top shape was also tough.
The Captain of the flight Captain Shoaib Chowdhury is a twenty-two year veteran of Biman Bangladesh, Chowdhury has spent seven years on the big tri-jet, flying it across the world from Hong Kong to New York. Today’s flight will be one of his last. He said, “I feel very proud; this is a great opportunity to fly the last commercial DC-10 flight. The DC-10 is a wonderful…robust aircraft. I love to fly the airplane.”
There are 69 DC-10s remaining in service. Fedex Express (63), Kelowna Flightcraft Air Charter (4), Solar Cargo (1) Transportes Aéreos Bolivianos (1)
