Carrier maintains peak season outlook despite 25-aircraft operational fleet inspection requirements following FAA emergency directive
FedEx executives are hopeful that the company can minimise the impact of the grounding of its MD-11F freighters through its commercial airline relationships, adjusting maintenance schedules and utilising its ground network.
Speaking at the Baird Global Industrial Conference earlier this week, FedEx chief financial officer John Dietrich said that FedEx owns a total of 34 MD-11F aircraft, six of which are parked and three of which are used as spares.
Of its operational fleet of 25 MD-11F aircraft, 18 of those are utilised on FedEx’s domestic network.
He said he expected inspections to start on the aircraft “in the coming days” and added that the company was working closely with aircraft manufacturer Boeing and the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
”I think it is important to note as well on these inspections that once the aircraft is inspected and released, if it passes that inspection, those aircraft will start to get back into the fleet on a tail-by-tail basis,” said Dietrich.
”It’s not like we are waiting for the whole fleet to be inspected before concluding whether they can safely go back into service,” he added.
To mitigate the shortfall of capacity in the meantime, FedEx is taking several steps.
He said that there was some flexibility in the planned maintenance schedule of other aircraft that could be temporarily delayed to keep them flying until the MD-11Fs are ready to return, while the company also has a strong relationship with commercial airlines that it can utilise.
For US domestic volumes, the company can also ramp up its use of its “superior” ground network.
He added that the grounded MD-11Fs would also contribute towards FedEx’s contribution to the reduction in flying mandated by the FAA as a result of the US federal government shutdown, although this has since ended and US flight capacity is soon expected to return to previous levels.
Dietrich said that as a result of these measures, FedEx is not expecting to lower its outlook for the current peak season quarter, which includes both year-on-year and sequential growth, as a result of the grounding.
Last weekend, the FAA issued an Emergency Airworthiness Directive (AD) that ordered owners and operators of MD-11 freighters to inspect their aircraft for faults before they fly.
This emergency AD, 2025-23-51, was prompted by the fatal crash of a UPS MD-11F after taking off from Louisville, US on 4 November. The incident, which involved the left-hand engine and pylon detaching from the airplane during takeoff, is currently under investigation.
