Close to two months after the FAA ended the global grounding of the McDonnell Douglas MD-11, FedEx has returned four of the aircraft to service, and expects to have its entire fleet active before the freight industry’s peak season.
On an earnings call Tuesday, FedEx executives said the company has worked closely with Boeing, the FAA, and the NTSB to complete required repairs on the aircraft. CEO Raj Subramaniam confirmed four of the type are now flying, and said five other MD-11s were recently retired.
FedEx’s remaining 25 MD-11s are on track to reenter service before the fourth quarter of 2026.
The type was grounded last year following the crash of a UPS MD-11 in Louisville, Kentucky, that killed 15 people. In early May, the FAA approved a protocol developed by Boeing to reinforce a support structure on the aircraft’s engine pylons, one of which failed on the accident flight.
Two FedEx MD-11s underwent repairs within days of the FAA’s sign off, and on May 10 the company officially resumed using the aircraft with flights from Memphis, Tennessee, to Los Angeles and Miami.
UPS retired its MD-11 fleet in January.
FedEx has said it will continue to operate the MD-11 until 2032, when the type will be replaced by newer, more efficient aircraft.
