FedEx has returned four McDonnell Douglas MD-11 cargo aircraft to service while retiring five others last quarter, reported New York's FreightWaves. The company plans to have its full MD-11 fleet available by peak season.

FedEx took a US$23 million charge in its fiscal fourth quarter to write down the value of 10 retired aircraft, including five MD-11 freighters, four Boeing 757-200s, and one Airbus A300-600. It also received seven new Boeing 767-300 freighters, resulting in a net decline of three aircraft year on year.

The Federal Aviation Administration cleared MD-11s to resume service in May after Boeing developed a fix for a pylon flaw linked to a UPS crash last November. FedEx has begun replacing engine bearings at maintenance hubs in Indianapolis and Memphis.

Chief Executive Raj Subramaniam stated that four MD-11s are back in service, with the remaining 25 expected to be ready for the fourth quarter. UPS has retired its entire MD-11 fleet, while Western Global Airlines has reactivated two aircraft for military contracts.

FedEx postponed the full retirement of the MD-11 fleet until 2032 to retain widebody capacity for international freight. Despite high fuel burn and lower reliability, the aircraft remain useful for long-range and heavy cargo.

Since 2024, FedEx has targeted the $80 billion to $90 billion deferred air cargo market, reorganizing its network to separate express parcels from slower freight. Chief Commercial Officer Brie Carere noted that international freight volumes rose 12 percent year on year.

FedEx continues to add aircraft under Boeing orders but at a slower pace, reflecting efforts to streamline operations amid weaker parcel growth. Capital spending in fiscal 2026 totaled $3.8 billion, equal to four percent of revenue, the lowest in years.