Does anyone know what is the oldest commercial aircraft still in regular service with a major airline?

for any major airline in north america, it's got to be northwest dc-9s. otherwise, there are a bunch of bac-111s in africa. i know chalks uses grumman amphibians and there are some dc-3s on some sightseeing flights out west.

Is N700ME still in service ?(DC-9 #2)

Up until two months ago this one was.

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Photo © Chuck Ross

For what it's worth, I was thumbing through a popular Brazilian aviation magazine and they list a 737-200 flying for VASP (PP-SMA) as the oldest pax acft operating for the same carrier in Brazil.

I did a quick photo check here and it appears the acft went into service with VASP in 1969. Reading on, the text says the oldest pax acft in Brazil is a 1962 Fokker F-27 Friendship currently in service with Tavaj airlines flying as PT-LAG. I tried a photo search on that model but came up empty-handed.

Let me take advantage of the discussion on old commercial acft by saying how much I miss the 707  

Has to be something like a DC-3 or maybe even a De Havilland Dragon Rapide.
Is there not a Ford Trimotor still earning its keep somewhere in the US?

The question specified "a major airline." So all the DC3s are out.

Gotta be a DC-9, unless you expand it to freight, in which case you may need to check on DC-8s.

Some of NW DC-9s must be from 1967-69.

I think it's N700ME from YX--manufacture date Feb 24 1966, and was one of the early birds off the line.

I thought N400ME was the 2nd off the line. or was it the first.

I've done some research and the winner seems to be:
CP-1223, a 727-78, in service with Lloyd Aero Boliviano:

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Photo © Dave Sturges

This bird is l/n 104 and had accomplished its first flight on January 5th 1965.
This is, of course, among more or less significant carriers. A few small airlines in Africa and Latin America operate even older aircraft (such as l/n 15, 24 and 44).

PS At least the aircraft looks to be in good condition:

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Photo © Miguel Cano Alva

Now dont quote me but if we did get into cargo as well DHL still flies convairs correct? not in the us but in germany or somethign to that extent. Fedex also has some older F27's unless they got rid of those already. Ups has dc-8's too. along with ABX.

Im sure Aeroflot is using att least 1 REALLY old an-2 somewhere in Siberia or up in the arctic.

N700ME its last flight or flights will be December 31, 2003. Some days Midwest Airlines flies N700ME and other days it sits outside the hangar in MKE or inside the hangar if mainteance is needed. N700ME will be retired from service after that day and I have heard rumors that it might go to the Simthsounen in Washington D.C. Will give you people updates if I hear any more news.

If the end of N700ME is in only a few days then this may very well be the last picture taken of it still in service, at least on A.net.

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Photo © Artie Caissie

NWA's oldest DC-9 is ship #9150, registration # N8908E, A DC-9-14 with a FSN# of 50 with a date of September 8,1966.

Buffalo Airways of Yellowknife, NWT, operates 1 passenger carrying DC-3, aswell as a fleet of cargo carrying DC-3s, DC-4s, and C-46s. I dont know about the oldest but these aircrafts arent exactly your modern widebody jetliner...


Merry Christmas!
CanadianNorth