Last commercially operated DC 10 departs Birmingham on final flight
THE last commercially operational DC 10 aircraft has made its final flight. The airliner, operated by Biman Bangladesh Airlines, took off on a special one hour pleasure flight from Birmingham Airport before being retired.
To mark the plane’s retirement, the operator had been treating aviation enthusiasts to special scenic flights in its final three days in service. The airliner departs Birmingham today for Dhaka where it will be scrapped.
The plane, manufactured by McDonnell Douglas, first entered service in the early 1970s and during its lifespan has carried more than 4.3m passengers.
Its final flight was a flypast over Birmingham before heading over north England and into Scotland and then back to Birmingham.
On landing back at Birmingham it did a circuit around the airport’s perimeter and was then treated to a water arch salute courtesy of the airport’s fire tenders.
The aircraft itself was the 445th aircraft to be built out of a total of 446, with the first entering commercial service in 1971.
Birmingham Airport was chosen to host the farewell services as it will become Biman’s newest international destination in the summer when it launches twice weekly flights to Dhaka and New York JFK using brand new wide-bodied Boeing 777 aircraft.
The new long-haul operation has been made possible due to the £40m runway extension at Birmingham, which is set to open in the spring. There is no date yet for the start of the new service although tickets are expected to go on sale in April.
