Overview
- UPS said in its fourth‑quarter 2025 results that it completed the MD‑11 retirement during the quarter and recorded a non‑cash, after‑tax impairment of $137 million.
- The company stated it will not return the type to service even if authorities later clear MD‑11 operations.
- Federal restrictions and carrier groundings that followed the Nov. 4 Louisville crash remain in place for the model, with FedEx and Western Global fleets still sidelined pending inspections.
- NTSB findings point to fatigue cracking and overstress failure in the left engine’s mount bearing, and investigators are reviewing a 2011 Boeing service letter that documented prior bearing‑race failures.
- MD‑11s accounted for about 9% of UPS’s widebody fleet and were used on long‑haul routes, and UPS plans to backfill capacity with scheduled deliveries including new Boeing 767 freighters while legal actions and site cleanup continue.