FedEx 757 marks first for FedEx, National Airport

FedEx 757 marks first for FedEx, National Airport    FedEx Express has introduced the first Boeing 757-200 freighter to its fleet and plans to add 11 more of the narrow-body planes in the next year to replace its aging 727s, the overnight carrier said.
   The 757 has been placed in service on a new route between FedEx's main hub in Memphis, Tenn., and Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, which primarily serves as a short-haul, domestic airport.
   It is the first time an all-cargo carrier or an express carrier has ever operated from Washington National, Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority spokesman Rob Yingling said. The Federal Aviation Administration granted FedEx takeoff and landing slots, which are capped each hour to reduce congestion. FedEx will have ramp parking but no gate at the crowded airport, he said, meaning trucks will likely shuttle shipments to and from a nearby package station.
   FedEx, which also operates a large cargo facility at Washington Dulles Airport, will serve Washington National four days per week. Company officials said adding flights to National Airport will improve customer service in the Washington metropolitan region.
   The 757 offers 20 percent more capacity than the 727. It has 15 container positions in a new version, but 14.5 in some conversion variants. It has a maximum range of 2,000 nautical miles but is ideally suited for operating in the 1,200 to 1,500-mile range.
      The Memphis-based carrier is in the process of converting the other 757s from passenger to freighter configuration. The work is being conducted by Singapore-based ST Aerospace on behalf of Boeing Co. FedEx plans to spend $2.6 billion to acquire 90 757-200s, which will enter service over an eight-year period.
   Boeing stopped making the 757 in 2005.
   FedEx still has 90 of the noisy, fuel-guzzling 727-200s in its fleet, according to the company's Web site. It expects to phase them all out by 2012, spokesman Maury Lane said.
   UPS, by contrast, has moved faster to retire its 727s. It only has two of planes and they are leased to other parties. It operates 75 new production 757s. ' Eric Kulisch