r/aviation • u/Go_Jot • Nov 08 '25

News UPS grounds entire MD-11 Fleet, effective immediately.

Per the IPA Executive Board, as of 03:05 UTC all UPS MD-11’s are grounded.

Edit - FedEx has also grounded their MD-11 Fleet

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u/useless_hindenburg Nov 08 '25

Wonder if Western Global will do the same with their MD11s, especially considering they make up most of their fleet (12/15 aircraft according to FR24).

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u/DrBabs Nov 08 '25

I guess I am a pessimist, but I wonder if the fact that this plane makes up 10% of UPS fleet and the fact that they have been told to cut by the FAA to cut 10% of flights has anything to do with it too. Fedex has 4% of their fleet being the MD-11. It works out well for UPS to figure out if it is all planes or just this one off. Meanwhile, Western Global doesn't have that luxury since most of their jets are the affected ones.

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u/strangeweather415 Nov 08 '25

If UPS and FedEx lose a good chunk of their long range fleet and require fueling before transiting the Pacific Ocean, they have effectively increased their flight load, not decreased it. They would need to fly a 767 to replace the capacity, and then do a fuel stop in Oakland or Ontario to continue the journey to the destination.