FedEx expects its MD-11F fleet to return to active service in May, once the US regulator lifts the order grounding this and similar aircraft types following a November 4, 2025, UPS Airlines fatal crash at Louisville International.
The Wall Street Journal reported that FedEx management sent a memo to its employees saying that the company is now waiting for “the final, FAA-approved procedure to be released” for the MD-11 to return to service.
In advance of its reported return in late May, FedEx plans to hold a town hall about the aircraft type on May 6. The company has scheduled at least two MD-11 freighters to fly in the first half of May, a person familiar with the matter told the newspaper.
ch-aviation fleets data shows that FedEx Express has fifty-eight MD-11Fs in its fleet, making it the largest operator of the type globally (followed by Western Global Airlines with fourteen). UPS used to have twenty-six in its fleet, but opted to retire them after the grounding.
Separately, however, congressman Morgan McGarvey, a Democrat representing Kentucky’s third congressional district, which includes Louisville, urged the FAA to permanently ground the MD-11 type after the UPS crash.
“Families have lost loved ones, communities have suffered overwhelming sadness, and the nation has witnessed yet another catastrophic disaster involving an aircraft with a long-documented history of mechanical problems,” McGarvey said. “We have a collective responsibility to ensure that no additional lives are put at risk by an aircraft whose design and operational history have repeatedly demonstrated an unacceptable level of danger.”
ch-aviation reached out to FedEx for comment on McGarvey’s plea, but it was not immediately available.
