Convair 880 | |
---|---|
General information | |
Type | Narrow-body jet airliner |
National origin | United States |
Manufacturer | Convair |
Status | Retired |
Primary users | Trans World Airlines |
Number built | 65 |
History | |
Manufactured | 1959–1962 |
Introduction date | May 1960 with Delta Air Lines |
First flight | January 27, 1959 |
Retired | 1998 |
Variants | Convair 990 Coronado |
The Convair 880 is a retired American narrow-body jet airliner produced by the Convair division of General Dynamics. It was designed to compete with the Boeing 707 and Douglas DC-8 by being smaller but faster, a niche that failed to create demand. When it was first introduced, some[who?] in aviation circles claimed that at 615 mph (990 km/h), it was the fastest jet transport in the world.[1][better source needed] Only 65 Convair 880s were produced over the lifetime of the production run from 1959 to 1962, and General Dynamics eventually withdrew from the airliner market after considering the 880 project a failure. The Convair 990 Coronado was a stretched and faster variant of the 880.