By Rosemary
UPS said Tuesday it has permanently retired its fleet of McDonnell Douglas MD-11 cargo aircraft, moving more quickly than planned to remove the planes from service just months after a catastrophic crash during takeoff in Louisville that killed 15 people.
Chief executive Carol Tomé announced the decision during the company’s fourth-quarter earnings call, saying UPS chose to “accelerate our plans and retire all MD-11 aircraft in our fleet.” The move follows heightened scrutiny of the aircraft type after a Nov. 4 crash near Louisville’s Muhammad Ali International Airport and a subsequent federal grounding of all MD-11s.
The Louisville crash involved a UPS-operated MD-11 cargo jet that went down shortly after departing the airport. The aircraft’s three-member flight crew was killed, along with 12 people on the ground. Investigators said the plane’s left engine separated from the wing during takeoff, leaving the aircraft able to climb only about 30 feet before it crashed.
In the aftermath of the accident, the Federal Aviation Administration ordered all MD-11 aircraft grounded. The agency said Tuesday that it continues to review “all the facts and circumstances” surrounding the crash as it considers whether the aircraft type could be cleared to fly again. No timeline has been announced for a decision.
The FAA’s grounding order also affected other operators. FedEx and Florida-based Western Global Airlines were forced to halt MD-11 operations in November. FedEx has said it is working closely with federal regulators to address any repairs or modifications that may be required before the planes could safely return to service. The company did not respond Tuesday to a request for comment. Western Global Airlines also did not immediately return a call seeking comment.
At UPS, MD-11s accounted for roughly 9% of the company’s aircraft fleet. Tomé said the decision to retire them resulted in an after-tax charge of $137 million as the planes were written off. The move marks a significant shift for the logistics giant, which has relied on the wide-body cargo jets for long-haul routes for years.
To help offset the loss of capacity, Tomé said UPS expects to receive 18 new Boeing 767 aircraft over the next 15 months as it rebuilds its fleet. She said the company had to take extraordinary measures during the most recent peak holiday shipping season, including repositioning aircraft from other regions, increasing the use of ground transportation and leasing additional planes to meet customer demand.
“I am incredibly proud of our team at Worldport and how they responded to this accident,” Tomé said, referring to UPS’s massive Louisville air hub. She also thanked the local community, as well as business and industry partners, for their support in the weeks following the crash.
Investigators with the National Transportation Safety Board have said their preliminary findings point to structural issues involving the components that secured the engine to the wing. Cracks were discovered in some of those parts, and investigators said the damage had not been detected during routine maintenance inspections. The last inspection of the key engine mount components on the aircraft took place in 2021.
The crash had a profound and lasting impact on the Louisville community. After the engine separated, the aircraft slammed into nearby industrial sites, striking a Kentucky Petroleum Recycling facility and triggering smaller explosions. It also hit an auto salvage yard, Grade A Auto Parts, where several of the victims were working or visiting at the time. The scale of destruction and loss of life made it one of the deadliest aviation accidents involving a cargo aircraft in recent U.S. history.
As investigations continue and regulators weigh the future of the MD-11, UPS’s decision effectively removes the aircraft type from its operations, underscoring how safety concerns and operational risks can rapidly reshape fleet strategies in the cargo aviation industry.
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