MD-11 Fleet to Remain Grounded Through Holidays

Internal UPS memo suggests it will take months to return the aircraft to service.

Meg Godlewski

Friday, November 28, 2025 at 12:58 PM ET

Verified

Edited By:

Zach Vasile

UPS MD-11 [Credit: Shutterstock/Austin Deppe]

Key Takeaways:

The global fleet of MD-11 cargo aircraft has been grounded by an FAA airworthiness directive following the deadly crash of UPS flight 2976 on November 4.
The crash involved a fire on the aircraft's left wing and engine separation during takeoff, resulting in the deaths of the three-person flight crew and 11 people on the ground.
The grounding is temporary but expected to last several months for inspections and necessary repairs, impacting the busy shopping and shipping season, though carriers like UPS have contingency plans.

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Friday marks the traditional beginning of the shopping and shipping season, but don’t expect any of those packages to be carried by MD-11s. The model, used exclusively by cargo airlines, remains grounded by an airworthiness directive following the deadly crash of UPS flight 2976 in Kentucky on November 4.

UPS grounded its remaining MD-11s on November 7, shortly before the FAA issued an airworthiness directive grounding the world fleet on November 8.