Fedex continues to fly the MD11
From
Aviation HQ@2:292/854 to
All on Sat Jan 31 21:13:28 2026
While UPS announced earlier this week that it would retire the McDonnell Douglas MD-11 early, rival FedEx plans to continue operating the aircraft for a few more years. Currently, all MD-11s are grounded following a fatal accident involving a UPS aircraft last November.
The plane crash at Louisville International Airport killed the three crew members and twelve people on the ground. Wear and tear in the engine mounts caused one of the engines to detach from the wing during takeoff, after which the aircraft became uncontrollable and crashed.
Since the accident, UPS, FedEx, and Western Global Airlines have grounded their MD-11s at the behest of the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
UPS announced it will no longer operate the MD-11 and replace them with Boeing 767s. FedEx, however, intends to continue operating the aircraft. Each of its 28 active aircraft is undergoing a thorough inspection, and the MD-11 is scheduled to resume service on May 31.
The likelihood of Western Global continuing to operate the MD-11 seems slim, making FedEx the most likely operator of the type worldwide.
KLM was the last operator of the passenger version of the MD-11 in 2014. Since then, only MD-11Fs have been flying for freight.
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* Origin: AVIATION ECHO HQ (2:292/854)