FedEx Corp. is gearing up to resume flying 28 MD-11 freighter aircraft by the end of May with the support of Boeing despite no public sign that regulators are ready to lift a mandatory grounding of the platform in place since the fatal crash of a UPS cargo jet in early November, FreightWaves has learned.
The integrated parcel and logistics giant intends to install a new bearing produced by Boeing to correct a design flaw in the pylon that secures the engines to the MD-11s wing, according to a bulletin issued to flight operations, maintenance and air safety employees that was shared by a non-management source.
In a separate memo, airline managers informed pilots that FedEx plans to operate two MD-11 aircraft in May and that they will need to take a three-day refresher course to ensure there are enough qualified pilots to operate them.
The Federal Aviation Administration ordered MD-11 operators to cease flying the aircraft following the fiery crash of UPS Flight 2976 in Louisville, Kentucky, which occurred when the left engine separated from the wing during take off. Regulators said the aircraft would remain grounded until the entire fleet is thoroughly inspected and any necessary fixes are completed. The National Transportation Safety Board found fatigue cracks in a structural section that held the engine to the wing of the UPS plane, and said the issue had previously cropped up on other aircraft.
“We have continued to work closely with Boeing as they have finished the engineering analysis and developed the proposed maintenance actions to support MD-11 return to service. These actions included the design, qualification testing, and production of a new bearing for the pylon aft bulkhead, which was completed last week,” the bulletin said. “With the production of the new bearing, our engineering, aircraft maintenance, and quality control inspection team members were able to successfully validate Boeing’s proposed maintenance actions.”
Management said the FAA must still approve the maintenance procedure before FedEx (NYSE: FDX) can begin MD-11 operations.
The communiqué was signed by Justin Brownlee, senior vice president for flight operations and airline planning, and two other senior executives.
Pilots and other airline personnel were invited to attend a town hall meeting on May 6 where FedEx officials plan to discuss the findings of Boeing’s engineering analysis, the repair plans and recommended safety actions, as well as the company’s timeline for return to service of the MD-11. The meeting will be held at a FedEx training complex near its air hub in Memphis, Tennessee, and be streamed live via Zoom.
The Wall Street Journal first reported on the FedEx announcement about the MD-11 on Monday night.
The internal memo to pilots said the mandatory refresher training “is designed to rebuild proficiency, reinforce aircraft specific skills, and restore crew confidence in normal and non-normal operations. . . . While most of our pilots have remained current and qualified through (simulator and class) training, we recognize that returning to the aircraft safely requires an additional level of preparedness.”
FedEx out front on messaging
The NTSB is still investigating the UPS crash and aviation authorities haven’t indicated the status of inspections or what repairs are needed to enable the planes to fly again. Boeing declined to comment on the situation.
FedEx has consistently expressed optimism that the MD-11s will receive a safety clearance and resume flying in its air network. UPS announced in January it would scrap its fleet of 27 MD-11s. Western Global Airlines, the other operator of the aging tri-engine aircraft, has not indicated its plans.
On Nov. 11, days after the UPS crash, Chief Financial Officer John Dietrich declared at an investor conference that the inspection process was expected to be relatively quick and that the airline would return MD-11 cargo jets to service on a rolling basis after they passed safety checks and completed any necessary repairs. His comments came before the NTSB issued its preliminary accident report, in which it highlighted discovery of the fatigue cracks.
FedEx didn’t begin to remove MD-11s from its December schedule until late November even as UPS had determined that the inspection process would last several months. On Dec. 18, Dietrich said FedEx was projecting the aircraft would return to service in the spring period.
The company said in its December quarterly earnings presentation that it expected the MD-11s to return to service between March and the end of May. Contracting with other airlines and other steps to replace lost capacity from the MD-11s cost FedEx about $175 million during the peak winter months.
During FedEx’s Investor Day event on Feb. 12, Richard Smith, CEO of FedEx Airline and chief operating officer of the international segment, said the company is “highly confident in the safe return” of the MD-11 freighters.
FedEx and UPS were phasing out the aging MD-11s over several years, but FedEx in March 2025 extended the retirement deadline for the full MD-11 fleet from 2028 until 2032 because of rising demand for widebody airlift and its new strategy to diversify beyond parcels and capture more heavy, industrial cargo shipments. With the MD-11s back in its fleet, FedEx can save money from wet leasing aircraft and crews from partner airlines.
Click here for more FreightWaves/American Shipper stories by Eric Kulisch.
Write to Eric Kulisch at ekulisch@freightwaves.com.
(Correction: An earlier version of this story said the all-hands meeting will be held at FedEx headquarters. It will take place at another FedEx complex in Memphis.)
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