UPS retires MD-11 freighters following the November crash, leaving FedEx and Western Global as the world’s only remaining operators.
In a move that signals a major shift for global cargo aviation, United Parcel Service (UPS) has confirmed it has permanently retired its fleet of McDonnell Douglas MD-11 freighters, bringing an abrupt end to the aircraft’s service with the world’s largest parcel carrier.
The announcement came on 27 January in UPS’s fourth-quarter 2025 earnings release, following months of uncertainty after the fatal crash of UPS Flight 2976 on 4 November 2025, which claimed 15 lives. The aircraft involved was an MD-11. Shortly after the accident, the fleet was grounded by the Federal Aviation Administration “out of an abundance of caution” while the investigation continues.
Now, that grounding has become permanent.
UPS Accelerates MD-11 Exit
UPS disclosed that it completed the retirement of its MD-11 fleet during the fourth quarter of 2025, recording a $137 million non-cash, after-tax charge tied to the write-off of the aircraft. The MD-11 had previously accounted for roughly 9 percent of the UPS fleet and was primarily used on long-haul international cargo routes.
The move significantly accelerates UPS’s long-standing fleet modernization plan. Prior to the crash, the company had already been phasing out older widebodies in favor of newer, more fuel-efficient twin-engine freighters. The MD-11, a three-engine design that traces its lineage back to the DC-10, has long faced higher maintenance costs and diminishing parts availability compared to modern alternatives.
UPS has operated the MD-11 since the early 2000s, using it as a workhorse successor to its DC-10 fleet. At the time of the grounding, the carrier operated 31 MD-11s, making it the second-largest MD-11 operator in the world, behind FedEx.
The Sun is Setting for the MD-11
With UPS now fully out, the MD-11’s presence in global cargo operations has narrowed dramatically.
Only two operators worldwide remain committed to the type…for now:
- FedEx, which operates the world’s largest MD-11 fleet
- Western Global Airlines, a smaller US cargo carrier heavily impacted by the grounding
Both carriers’ MD-11 fleets have remained grounded since November 2025, pending FAA-approved inspections. FedEx has previously indicated it expects the MD-11 to return to service in 2026, while Western Global has yet to announce a confirmed timeline.
For now, however, UPS’s decision leaves no active MD-11 flights in US commercial cargo service, a development that would have been unthinkable just a few months ago for an aircraft that once formed the backbone of long-haul freight networks.
The Beginning of the End for Trijets
UPS’s MD-11 retirement is likely the end of another era in the industry: the trijet era is quietly coming to an end.
Once prized for redundancy and long-range performance, three-engine aircraft like the MD-11 have been steadily displaced by more efficient twin-engine designs that benefit from modern ETOPS rules, lower fuel burn, and simpler maintenance profiles. Passenger operators retired the type years ago. Cargo carriers were the last holdouts.
Today’s announcement may prove to be one of the defining moments in the MD-11’s long farewell.
What Comes Next
The National Transportation Safety Board continues to investigate the November crash, and the FAA’s fleet-wide grounding remains in place as inspections and reviews continue. While FedEx and Western Global are still positioned to bring their MD-11s back into service, UPS has made it clear there is no path back for the type within its network.
Will FedEx and Western Global follow in UPS’s footsteps?
With UPS stepping away, the MD-11 moves one step closer to history…and the skies grow quieter for the last of the commercial trijets
