UPS Officially Retires MD-11 Freighters After November Accident

Photographer: Maciej Ramos - AirTeamImages.com 

UPS has officially retired its remaining McDonnell Douglas MD-11 freighters, bringing an end to the company’s operations with the three-engine aircraft following a fatal accident in November and the subsequent grounding of the fleet.

The decision was disclosed in UPS’s fourth-quarter 2025 earnings release, published on January 27. In the filing, the company confirmed it recorded a non-cash, after-tax charge related to the accelerated retirement of the MD-11 aircraft. While UPS did not provide a specific retirement date, it indicated that the fleet was retired during the fourth quarter.

Live map

UPS grounded its MD-11 fleet in November after an accident involving one of the aircraft. At the time, the company said the grounding was implemented out of an abundance of caution while the incident was investigated. The crash resulted in 15 fatalities.

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) continues to investigate the accident. No conclusions have yet been released.

Before the grounding, the MD-11 represented a smaller portion of UPS’s widebody fleet and was primarily deployed on long-haul international cargo routes. Despite its limited role, UPS operated the second-largest MD-11 fleet in the world, with 31 aircraft in service before the accident. FedEx holds the largest MD-11 fleet, with 61 aircraft, which are also currently grounded.

UPS has operated the MD-11 since the early 2000s, when the aircraft was introduced as a replacement for its aging DC-10 fleet. For more than two decades, the tri-jet played a key role in UPS’s global cargo network, particularly on intercontinental routes.

The retirement of the MD-11 marks the end of an era for UPS. It reflects the broader industry shift toward newer, more fuel-efficient freighters as operators modernize their fleets and respond to evolving safety, efficiency, and sustainability requirements.