UPS has announced that it has retired its MD-11 fleet. The aircraft type is currently grounded pending inspections following the deadly November crash in Louisville. In its fourth quarter earnings report the company said, “UPS accelerated its fleet modernization plans, completing the retirement of its MD-11 fleet during the fourth quarter of 2025.” The gap in UPS’ operations left by the MD-11 grounding and retirement will be filled by new deliveries of the 767 freighter and contract flights.
With an average age of 30.8 years, the UPS MD-11 fleet was already slated for retirement as new 767 freighters joined the fleet, but post-crash grounding brought those plans forward. At the moment, UPS has 26 MD-11 aircraft parked at 15 airport in the United States and Canada. The carrier has not said how or when any of those jets may make their way to a final location. You can see the table below for the current location of UPS’ MD-11 fleet.
Current location of UPS MD-11 aircraft
| Registration | Serial number (MSN) | Age | Current location |
|---|---|---|---|
| N250UP | 48745 | 30 years | San Antonio (SAT) |
| N251UP | 48744 | 30 years | Louisville (SDF) |
| N252UP | 48768 | 29 years | Toronto (YYZ) |
| N253UP | 48439 | 32 years | Columbia (CAE) |
| N254UP | 48406 | 32 years | Honolulu (HNL) |
| N255UP | 48404 | 33 years | Ontario (ONT) |
| N256UP | 48405 | 33 years | Louisville (SDF) |
| N257UP | 48451 | 33 years | Chicago (ORD) |
| N258UP | 48416 | 34 years | Ontario (ONT) |
| N260UP | 48418 | 33 years | Louisville (SDF) |
| N262UP | 48806 | 25 years | Philadelphia (PHL) |
| N263UP | 48782 | 27 years | Minneapolis (MSP) |
| N264UP | 48800 | 26 years | Ontario (ONT) |
| N273UP | 48574 | 31 years | Atlanta (ATL) |
| N274UP | 48575 | 31 years | Houston (IAH) |
| N275UP | 48774 | 29 years | Phoenix (PHX) |
| N276UP | 48579 | 29 years | Ontario (ONT) |
| N278UP | 48577 | 30 years | Louisville (SDF) |
| N284UP | 48541 | 28 years | Ontario (ONT) |
| N286UP | 48453 | 34 years | Tampa (TPA) |
| N287UP | 48539 | 31 years | Louisville (SDF) |
| N288UP | 48540 | 28 years | Honolulu (HNL) |
| N289UP | 48455 | 34 years | Seattle (BFI) |
| N292UP | 48566 | 32 years | Miami (MIA) |
| N293UP | 48473 | 34 years | Louisville (SDF) |
| N294UP | 48472 | 34 years | San Antonio (SAT) |
8 Responses
What a sad ending to a great airplane and tri jet operations going to be hard to replace
Smart move. Hope FedEx follow as well. The MD11 has lived longer than it should. The economics of any plane are irrelevant in relation to the lives of crew members and or passengers.
Well, tell that to the many airlines around the world that still use Boeing 767s and Boeing 777-200s that are that same number of years old or more, transporting thousands of passengers daily (not just cargo).
Did these MD-11’s end up grounded at the next airport they landed at. ?
They sure are scattered around.
Can UPS ferry them back to a central location. ?
Will they go up for sale. ?
Another part of the story is FedEx plans to fly their MD-11’s, I see in the media.
Two very different decisions…. why ?
The youngest aircraft in the fleet appears to be N262UP 48806 at 25 years. Then you have the oldest aircraft N258UP 48416 at 34 years, certainly aged aircraft.
UPS also recently announced 30,000 layoffs, as their shipping partnership with Amazon winds down. I don’t know if this was expected late last year, but I’m assuming it was.
The loss of shipment volume probably relieves some pressure from their system, making the availability of the 25 remaining MD-11s less necessary.
Hope they all make it retirement without another incident.
Anyone asked to fly these parked aircraft should be offered unlimited simulator training at UPS’s HQ on engine failure scenarios PRIOR to “requesting TO clearance”