FedEx has reportedly confirmed its MD-11 freighters are ready to return to service next month to end a six-month period on the ground.
The express giant’s MD-11F fleet has been grounded since the fatal crash of a UPS MD-11F on 4 November last year that subsequently saw the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issue an Emergency Airworthiness Directive (AD) that ordered owners and operators of MD-11 freighters to inspect their aircraft for faults.
Now, according to Cargo Facts, Richard Smith, chief operating officer of FedEx has said of the MD-11Fs: “They’re ready to go.”
Smith commented on the return to service of its MD-11Fs during a recent presentation at the New York-based Wings Club, a global society of aviation professionals.
In January, FedEx told Air Cargo News in a statement that it had been working with Boeing and the FAA to return the aircraft to service in its fourth quarter, which ends 31 May.
According to Planespotters, FedEx has 29 MD-11Fs in its fleet. These are all currently parked. Most of these freighters are over 30 year old, and the oldest is 36 years old.
The integrator’s decision to return the MD-11Fs to service may come as a surprise to some in the industry, due to their age.
In contrast to FedEx, UPS retired all its MD-11Fs in the fourth quarter of 2025 and said it will replace these aircraft with Boeing 767Fs.
In addition to UPS and FedEx, Western Global Airlines also operated 15 MD-11Fs. All of these are currently parked, data from Planespotters shows.
While the grounding of the MD-11F fleet initially sparked concern about global cargo capacity, MD-11Fs have been largely operated on domestic routes and, therefore, removing them from service has not had a major impact on international cargo capacity levels.
