UPS has officially retired its remaining McDonnell Douglas MD-11 freighters, formally ending operations with the three-engine aircraft following a deadly November accident and the subsequent grounding of the fleet.
The decision was disclosed in the company’s fourth-quarter 2025 earnings release, published Jan. 27, in which the company confirmed it recorded a non-cash, after-tax charge tied to the accelerated retirement of the MD-11 aircraft. UPS did not specify an exact retirement date but indicated the fleet was removed from service during the fourth quarter.
UPS grounded its MD-11 fleet in November after an accident involving one of the aircraft. At the time, the company said the grounding was taken out of an abundance of caution while the incident was investigated.
The National Transportation Safety Board is continuing to investigate the accident.
Prior to the grounding, the MD-11 made up a minority portion of UPS’ widebody fleet and was primarily used on long-haul international cargo routes.
The company maintained the second-largest MD-11 fleet in the world, with 31 aircraft in service before the accident, which killed 15 people. FedEx has the largest MD-11 fleet with 61 jets, which are also grounded.
UPS has operated the MD-11 since the early 2000s.
