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FedEx debuts air freight service connecting Dublin and Indianapolis

Pharmaceutical and medical companies expected to be key beneficiaries of direct flight

Eric Kulisch
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A Boeing 767 cargo jet operated by FedEx lands at Dublin International Airport on March 17, 2022. (Photo: Shutterstock/Wirestock Creators)
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Key Takeaways:

  • FedEx has launched a new direct air freight route connecting Dublin, Ireland, with Indianapolis, a major US hub, operating four days per week.
  • This new service aims to significantly speed up the transport of healthcare and high-value freight, reducing delivery times by one day by bypassing congested East Coast gateways.
  • The route is a strategic part of FedEx's international network redesign, leveraging Ireland's status as a top pharmaceutical and biopharma hub and Indiana's strong medical equipment industry, supported by FedEx's cold-chain facility in Indianapolis.
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FedEx has started a new flight linking Dublin and Indianapolis, the second largest air hub in the company’s network, to speed transport of healthcare and other high-value freight products for shippers in the United States and Ireland.

The new direct air freight lane will operate four days per week and allow goods from Dublin to bypass congested East coast gateways and arrive at their destination one day faster, FedEx (NYSE: FDX) said in a news release on Tuesday. Ireland is a top pharmaceutical and biopharma hub. Many pharmaceutical and medical equipment companies are also based in Indiana.

Chief Customer Officer Brie Carere first disclosed the new flight on Sept. 18 during the company’s first-quarter earnings presentation, but offered no details. 

“This flight highlights the success of our Tricolor international network redesign strategy in strengthening our capabilities in the global air freight market,” said Richard Smith, chief operating officer, international and chief executive officer, airline. “By adding this route, U.S.-based customers can reduce delivery times to one of Europe’s key innovation hubs, where industries like healthcare, electronics, and aerospace are experiencing significant growth. Our network, augmented by advanced digital tools, is designed to support customers in these expanding sectors.”

Over the past two years, FedEx has transformed its air network to eliminate excess capacity amid a slowdown in parcel volumes, and improve profitability and customer service. A key part of the color-coded strategy involves segregating the fleet by product categories and demand requirements. The Purple network is for overnight express, the Orange network is for premium general cargo tendered by freight forwarders and the White network is for low-priority shipments booked on commercial passenger aircraft by FedEx’s freight forwarding arm.

Ireland is a strong export market, with about 68% of total goods exported in early 2025 bound for the United States. Pharmaceuticals and medical equipment are the leading export products.

FedEx recently opened a 16,000-plus-square-foot cold-chain facility at the Indianapolis hub. The facility features three temperature zones: minus 25 C to minus 10 C (minus 13 F), 2 C to 8 C (35 F to 46 F), and 15 C to 25 C (59 F to 77 F), plus a re-icing room.

Write to Eric Kulisch at ekulisch@freightwaves.com.

Click here for more FreightWaves/American Shipper stories by Eric Kulisch.

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Eric Kulisch

Eric is the Parcel and Air Cargo Editor at FreightWaves. An award-winning business journalist with extensive experience covering the logistics sector, Eric spent nearly two years as the Washington, D.C., correspondent for Automotive News, where he focused on regulatory and policy issues surrounding autonomous vehicles, mobility, fuel economy and safety. He has won two regional Gold Medals and a Silver Medal from the American Society of Business Publication Editors for government and trade coverage, and news analysis. He was voted best for feature writing and commentary in the Trade/Newsletter category by the D.C. Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists. He was runner up for News Journalist and Supply Chain Journalist of the Year in the Seahorse Freight Association's 2024 journalism award competition. In December 2022, Eric was voted runner up for Air Cargo Journalist. He won the group's Environmental Journalist of the Year award in 2014 and was the 2013 Supply Chain Journalist of the Year. As associate editor at American Shipper Magazine for more than a decade, he wrote about trade, freight transportation and supply chains. He has appeared on Marketplace, ABC News and National Public Radio to talk about logistics issues in the news. Eric is based in Vancouver, Washington. He can be reached for comments and tips at ekulisch@freightwaves.com Eric is the Parcel and Air Cargo Editor at FreightWaves. An award-winning business journalist with extensive experience covering the logistics sector, Eric spent nearly two years as the Washington, D.C., correspondent for Automotive News, where he focused on regulatory and policy issues surrounding autonomous vehicles, mobility, fuel economy and safety. He has won two regional Gold Medals and a Silver Medal from the American Society of Business Publication Editors for government and trade coverage, and news analysis. He was voted best for feature writing and commentary in the Trade/Newsletter category by the D.C. Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists. He was runner up for News Journalist and Supply Chain Journalist of the Year in the Seahorse Freight Association's 2024 journalism award competition. In December 2022, Eric was voted runner up for Air Cargo Journalist. He won the group's Environmental Journalist of the Year award in 2014 and was the 2013 Supply Chain Journalist of the Year. As associate editor at American Shipper Magazine for more than a decade, he wrote about trade, freight transportation and supply chains. He has appeared on Marketplace, ABC News and National Public Radio to talk about logistics issues in the news. Eric is based in Vancouver, Washington. He can be reached for comments and tips at ekulisch@freightwaves.com Eric is based in Vancouver, Washington. He can be reached for comments and tips at ekulisch@freightwaves.com