UPS MD11 aircraft (Photo: SHUTTERSTOCK - Austin Deppe) UPS, one of the world's largest shipping and logistics companies, announced that it will completely retire its MD-11 fleet. The announcement was made yesterday, January 27, when the company also presented its quarterly results.
The move is not entirely new. In recent years, UPS has been working to reduce its MD-11 fleet, and, in late 2022, it announced that nine MD-11s would be removed from the fleet in 2023, with the aim of replacing them with modern Boeing aircraft. Now, the company has decided to accelerate the process and remove all aircraft of the model from service.
The decision to finally retire the planes came after the crash of UPS Flight 2976 in Louisville on November 4, considered the deadliest disaster in UPS' history. The incident killed 15 people, including the company's three flight crew members.
According to previous data reported to the US Stock Exchange, the company owned and operated 27 MD-11 aircraft. This report noted that the company had planned to retire only one aircraft during 2025, but the new decision significantly changes the schedules.
The retirement of the entire fleet will result in a one-time, non-cash write-off of $137 million after tax. The MD-11s are expected to be replaced by new, more efficient Boeing 767s over the coming year.
The MD-11 aircraft, manufactured by McDonnell Douglas, was produced in a limited quantity of only about 200 units between 1998 and 2000, before production was discontinued.
It is a three-engine aircraft, with one engine under each wing and another engine above the tail. The rest of the company's fleet consists mainly of twin-engine aircraft, except for the Boeing 747-8F, which has four engines mounted under the wings.