McDonnell Douglas MD-80 Air Portugal

In 1981 L.A.P received its first MD80. It would become a trusty operator of the type, using it on international routes in mostly Europe. But in 1984 when Airbus launched their extremely efficient A320 series, the end was in sight, but nowhere near. Eventually, after the last 737 was retired in 2006, the MD series, at least the MD87, kept on trucking until 2011, when the last example left Portuguese soil. Even though the A320 quickly became the backbone of the medium haul network of Air Portugal, the MD-87s were loved by passengers, which is mainly the reason why Air Portugal kept them in the fleet for so long. Now one example remains preserved at the Museu do Ar in Sintra.