CEO Carol Tome said during a fourth-quarter earnings call that UPS decided to “accelerate our plans and retire all MD-11 aircraft in our fleet.”
The Nov. 4 Louisville crash killed the plane’s three-person crew and 12 others on the ground just outside the Muhammad Ali International Airport. The plane’s left engine had fallen off the wing, and the plane was able to climb only about 30 feet (9 meters) before crashing.
The Federal Aviation Administration grounded all MD-11s after the crash. An agency statement Tuesday said the FAA continues to review “all the facts and circumstances” in deciding whether MD-11s would be allowed to fly again.
FedEx and Florida-based Western Global Airlines also had their fleets of MD-11s grounded by the FAA in November. FedEx officials said in December that they expect to return their MD-11 fleet to service by the company’s fourth quarter, which ends May 31.