UPS retires MD-11 freighter fleet in aftermath of Louisville crash

UPS has fully retired its fleet of McDonnell Douglas MD‑11F freighters, bringing an abrupt end to decades of trijet cargo operations following a deadly crash in 2025 that claimed the lives of three crewmembers and 12 people on the ground. 

In its fourth-quarter 2025 earnings report, UPS confirmed that it completed the retirement of all 26 MD-11Fs it still owned, accelerating a longstanding fleet modernization plan in the wake of the fatal crash of UPS Airlines Flight 2976 in November 2025.  

The decision marks a major shift for the logistics giant, which once relied on the MD-11 as a workhorse on long-haul international routes. The aircraft, an evolution of the McDonnell Douglas design later produced under Boeing after its 1997 merger, had been in service with UPS since the early 2000s.  

Flight 2976, operating as a cargo service from Louisville, Kentucky, to Honolulu, lost its left-hand engine during takeoff on November 4 and crashed into an industrial area beyond the runway. The crash became one of the deadliest in UPS’s aviation history.  

In the immediate aftermath, UPS grounded its entire MD-11 fleet “out of an abundance of caution” following recommendations from Boeing and directives from the Federal Aviation Administration. FedEx Express and other operators followed suit, temporarily grounding their own MD-11Fs as inspections and reviews began.  

Prior to the crash, UPS had already been phasing out MD-11s in favor of more fuel-efficient, twin-engine freighters such as the Boeing 767‑300F and Boeing 777F. The MD-11’s retirement was part of that broader strategy, but the Louisville accident accelerated the timeline and effectively ended the type’s operational future with the carrier.  

In financial filings, UPS reported a $137 million non-cash, after-tax charge associated with writing off the retired MD-11 fleet. Company leadership said the transition was managed in a way that preserved network reliability even as the last trijets were withdrawn from service. Over the next 15 months, UPS plans to take delivery of 18 new Boeing 767s, 15 of which are scheduled to arrive in 2026, and will reduce reliance on leased aircraft as those new jets enter service.  

The MD-11’s departure from UPS leaves it with a fleet centered on modern twins and mixed widebodies, including Boeing 747-8Fs, 757s, 767s and Airbus A300-600Fs.  

With UPS’s exit, only a handful of MD-11Fs remain, most notably with FedEx Express and Western Global Airlines, both of which have grounded their MD-11 fleets while regulators complete inspections.  The post UPS retires MD-11 freighter fleet in aftermath of Louisville crash appeared first on AeroTime.

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