Are any Convair 880 still flying?
Production of the 880 shut down after just three short years, and the Convair 880’s last revenue flight was on June 15, 1974 from Chicago, Illinois to Kansas City, Missouri. Of the 65 Convair 880 aircraft that were built, sadly, only six examples survive, the Museum’s being the only one on display on the west coast. The flight deck of a 1953 Convair 580. Its last commercial flight was in July 2021. That is 68 years of operation.
Why did Convair shut down?
Friday to close down its Convair commercial aircraft plant in San Diego by early 1996, saying it could not find an acceptable buyout deal for the facility. The factory, which employs about 1,900 people, will continue to build fuselages for the McDonnell Douglas MD-11, for the next 18 months. General Dynamics purchased a majority interest in Convair in 1954 and it continued to produce aircraft and components until General Dynamics began divesting itself of its aircraft and spacecraft divisions in the mid-nineties. For half a century, Convair was the largest civilian employer in San Diego.
Why did the Convair 880 fail?
The 880’s five-abreast seating made it unattractive to airlines, while Boeing was able to outcompete it with the Boeing 720, which could be sold at a significantly lower price, as it was a minimal modification of the existing 707. The 707 has a wider lower fuselage than the 737. This is because the 707 was designed as a longer-range intercontinental/international aircraft and needed the extra space to carry cargo. The original 737 was a very short-range aircraft and, as such, Boeing saw it fit to have a slightly smaller lower fuselage.