The food served on board long-haul flights is a significant aspect of the onboard experience for many passengers. The McDonnell Douglas DC-10 would have been stocked with a variety of meals for its passengers back when it was a mainstay of the long-haul scene. One widebody trijet prototype has been preserved as a unique restaurant in Ghana, where food is still served onboard.
Thai Airways originally owned the questioned aircraft. It was constructed in December 1976, and according to ATDB.aero, it joined the Bangkok-based carrier in March 1977 with the registration HS-TGD. It was re-registered as HS-TMC less than ten years later, in January 1987, but its time at THAI was running out.
It relocated to Europe in December of that same year to serve Scandinavian Airlines. The plane served SAS for under three years as OY-KDC before returning to Asia in October 1990 to fly for Malaysia Airlines as 9M-MAW. The Malaysia Airlines DC-10 was leased to World Airways and Tunisair while it was still there.
The long-range DC-10-30 finally changed hands in October 1999 when it was transferred to Ghana Airways. After a long and varied career that lasted 26 years, it spent four years flying for the African carrier 9G-ANB before leaving service in 2003. Its tale, however, was far from over.