UP , UP AND AWAY : A LOOK INTO TWA ’ S FLEET
LOCKHEED L1011-100
TWA took delivery of its first L1011 in 1972 . Initially using them for domestic routes , TWA modified 19 L-1011s for transatlantic flights from 1978 . The planes flew for TWA for 25 years , until the last flight , Los Angeles to New York , on September 3 , 1997 , bowed to the entry of the Boeing 757 and Boeing 767 .
PROCTOR-LIVESEY-THOMAS COLLECTION
BOEING 747SP
TWA ordered three 747SPs in anticipation of being awarded new long-haul routes to Asia , which did not materialize . The aircraft delivered in 1980 ended up flying on transatlantic routes out of New York , primarily to Tel Aviv and Cairo . The airline did not need the extra range of the 747SPs and disposed of them by 1986 .
PROCTOR-LIVESEY-THOMAS COLLECTION
MCDONNELL DOUGLAS MD-80
While Swissair was the launch customer of the MD-80 , TWA was the last airline to take one , receiving its 102nd MD-80 in December 1999 . TWA took delivery of its first MD-80 , an MD-82 , on April 18 , 1983 , and the type remained active in the fleet until the airline ’ s integration with American Airlines in 2001 .
PROCTOR-LIVESEY-THOMAS COLLECTION
16 AIRWAYS MAGAZINE APRIL 2024 www . airwaysmag . com