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A tragic accident has prompted UPS Airlines to temporarily ground an entire fleet of aircraft for comprehensive inspections and potential repairs, which could extend into the busy holiday delivery period, the company announced in an internal memo on Wednesday.
The memo, circulated by UPS Airlines President Bill Moore, revealed that the company has paused operations of its McDonnell Douglas MD-11 aircraft indefinitely. This decision comes as UPS strives to comply with Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) regulations. Originally projected to last a few weeks, the inspection and repair process is now anticipated to span several months.
The grounding follows a catastrophic MD-11 plane crash that occurred on November 4 in Louisville, Kentucky. The incident resulted in the deaths of 14 people and injuries to at least 23 others when the aircraft’s left engine detached during takeoff. In response, cargo carriers preemptively halted their MD-11 operations, even before receiving formal guidance from the FAA.
“Ongoing assessments by Boeing indicate that the scope of inspections and necessary repairs on the MD-11 fleet is more extensive than initially anticipated,” Moore stated in the memo.
A UPS spokesperson further elaborated that the company will activate contingency strategies to fulfill customer deliveries throughout the peak season. The spokesperson emphasized that UPS is committed to taking the necessary time to ensure each aircraft’s safety.
The 109 remaining MD-11 airliners, averaging more than 30 years old, are exclusively used to haul cargo for package delivery companies. MD-11s make up about 9% of the UPS airline fleet and 4% of the FedEx fleet.
Boeing, which took over as the manufacturer of MD-11s since merging with McDonnell Douglas in 1997, said in a statement that it is “working diligently to provide instructions and technical support to operators” so that they can meet the FAA’s requirements.
The FAA said Boeing will develop the procedures for inspections and any corrective actions, pending approval from the FAA.
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