FedEx returns MD-11 cargo jets to service after FAA approval

FedEx has begun returning its MD-11 cargo jets to service after the Federal Aviation Administration lifted a grounding order tied to the deadly UPS crash in Louisville, Kentucky, restoring a slice of cargo capacity to a network built around time-sensitive freight.

The FAA approved Boeing’s return-to-service protocol after an extensive review that required maintenance and inspection steps before the jets could fly again. FedEx said it had already validated the required work on two of its 28 MD-11s, a small but important first step for a fleet that sits inside a larger operation of nearly 700 aircraft and helps move long-haul freight on tight schedules.

The grounding followed the Nov. 4, 2025 crash of UPS Flight 2976, a Boeing MD-11F, shortly after takeoff from Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport at about 5:14 p.m. Eastern time. The National Transportation Safety Board says 3 crewmembers and 11 people on the ground were killed, and 23 others on the ground were injured. Investigators found the lugs from the left pylon aft mount bulkhead fractured, and the spherical bearing race fractured into forward and aft portions.

That damage explains why the FAA moved beyond a routine inspection order. The agency issued an emergency airworthiness directive covering all Boeing MD-11 and MD-11F aircraft after the accident, citing an unsafe condition involving the left-hand engine and pylon detaching during takeoff. The return-to-service process now being unwound is meant to make sure the same failure path cannot reappear in service, even as the underlying crash investigation continues.

For FedEx, the decision is as much about supply chain resilience as it is about safety. The company had warned the grounding could cost as much as $175 million, and every week an aircraft sits idle can ripple through pickup windows, hub connections and next-day delivery promises. FedEx has also already pushed back the planned retirement of its MD-11 fleet from 2028 to 2032, signaling that the aircraft still have a role in its cargo network.

UPS has taken a different path, saying it retired its entire MD-11 fleet after the Louisville crash. The split response underscores how sharply the accident has reshaped oversight of older freight aircraft. The NTSB has scheduled a two-day investigative hearing for May 19 and 20, keeping pressure on regulators and operators even as the first FedEx MD-11s return to the skies.