FedEx MD-11s to Fly Again, Ditching Leased Replacements

0:00On April 28, FedEx is gearing up to fly its MD-11 cargo jets again as early as next month, ditching those pricey lease replacements they grabbed. After the big grounding, the whole thing kicked off with that fatal UPS crash in November, outside Louisville, Kentucky, where the left engine ripped off right after takeoff, killing three crew members and 12 folks on the ground. FedEx runs the biggest fleet of these birds, 34 strong before they got sidelined, and it's hit their wallet hard, 145. Million dollars lost from November to February, plus another 55 million this quarter on leases alone. Boeing stepped in with a redesigned bearing for the key engine part, tested and validated by FedEx, but they still need the green light from the Federal Aviation Administration, whose grounding order stands for now. They're planning a town hall on May 6th, with a couple test flights penciled in early next month, all while teaming up tight with Boeing, the FAA, and NTSB, to get these planes back hauling freight safely.

1:02National News, powered by AI, this is US News Today. I'm Corey with The Story.