It was a shortened derivative of McDonnell Douglas’ successful airliner, the MD-80, and part of the company's broader DC-9 family.

Capable of seating up to 134 passengers, the 717 has a design range of 2,060 nautical miles [nmi] (3,820 km; 2,370 mi).

[4] The DC-9 was an all-new design, using two rear fuselage-mounted Pratt & Whitney JT8D turbofan engines; a small, efficient wing; and a T-tail.

The aircraft was proposed with a 17,000 lbf (76 kN) thrust version of the JT8D-200 series engine, although the CFM International CFM56-3 was also considered.

Seating up to 117 passengers, the DC-9-90 was to be equipped with the DC-9's wing with 2 ft (0.61 m) tip extensions, rather than the more heavily modified increased area of the MD-80.

With its relatively high MTOW and powerful engines, the MD-87 essentially became a special mission aircraft and could not compete with the all new 100-seaters then being developed.

[13] McDonnell Douglas, Pratt & Whitney, and the China National Aero-Technology Import Export Agency signed a memorandum of understanding to develop a 105-seat version of the MD-80.

At this time, McDonnell Douglas said that it expected the MD-95 to become a family of aircraft with the capability of increased range and seating capacity.

[14] In March 1995, longtime McDonnell Douglas customer Scandinavian Airlines System (SAS) chose the Boeing 737-600 for its 100-seater over the MD-95.

[15] As first proposed, the MD-95 was to be powered by a 16,500 lbf (73 kN) thrust derivative of the JT8D-200 series with the Rolls-Royce Tay 670 also considered as an alternative.

However, in early 1993, MDC said that it was considering sites outside China, and was later seeking alternative locations for the assembly line.

Halla Group in South Korea was selected to make the wings; Alenia of Italy the entire fuselage; Aerospace Industrial Development Corp. of Taiwan, the tail; ShinMaywa of Japan, the horizontal stabilizer; and a manufacturing division of Korean Air Lines, the nose and cockpit.

Early 717 operators were delighted[citation needed] with the reliability and passenger appeal of the type and decided to order more.

The small Australian regional airline Impulse took a long-term lease on five 717s in early 2000[25] to begin an expansion into mainline routes.

[27] Within a few months, the 717's abilities became clear to Qantas, being faster than the BAe 146, and achieving a higher dispatch reliability, over 99%, than competing aircraft.

[citation needed] Maintenance costs are low: according to AirTran Airways, a C check inspection, for example, takes three days and is required once every 4,500 flying hours.

[20][33] Following the slump in airline traffic caused by an economic downturn subsequent to the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, Boeing announced a review of the type's future.

[35][36][37] Increased competition from regional jets manufactured by Bombardier and Embraer took a heavy toll on sales during the airline slump after 2001.

[38] The beginning of the end came in December 2003 when Boeing failed to reach a US$2.7 billion contract from Air Canada, a long term DC-9 customer, who chose the Embraer E-Jets and Bombardier CRJ200 over the 717.

[39] On January 14, 2005, citing slow sales, Boeing announced that it planned to end production of the 717 after it had met all of its outstanding orders.

QantasLink initially retired their last 717 in October 2024 with the aircraft registered as VH-YQS making its final flight from Sydney to Canberra.

VH-YQW made its final flight in December 2024 from Canberra to Brisbane as QF6216 marking the end of 717 operators outside of the US.

[citation needed] The 717 features a two-crew glass cockpit that incorporates six interchangeable liquid-crystal-display units and advanced Honeywell VIA 2000 computers.

Category IIIb automatic landing capability for bad-weather operations and Future Air Navigation Systems are available.

The 717 shares the same type rating as the DC-9, such that the FAA approved transition courses for DC-9 and analog MD-80 pilots could be completed in 11 days.

[49] In conjunction with Parker Hannifin, MPC Products of Skokie, Illinois designed a fly-by-wire technology mechanical control suite for the 717 flight deck.

[51][52] Unlike its predecessors, McDonnell Douglas decided not to offer the MD-95/717 with the boarding flexibility of aft airstairs, with the goal of maximizing fuel efficiency through the reduction and simplification of as much auxiliary equipment as possible.

[53] As of November 2024[update], there are 99 Boeing 717s in service with Delta Air Lines (80) and Hawaiian Airlines (19)[citation needed] down from 148 aircraft in 2018.

[57] In 2015, Blue1 announced it would sell its 717 fleet, with five jets going to Delta and four going to the then third largest operator of the type, Volotea, a Spanish low-cost carrier.