UPS to Hire 300 Pilots to Support Postal Service Contract

UPS has about 292 freighters in its mainline fleet, which is 43 percent smaller than FedEx’s.

Eric Kulisch

Monday, April 08, 2024 at 02:28 PM ET

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UPS MD-11 freighter [Credit: Jim Allen/FreightWaves]

Key Takeaways:

UPS plans to hire over 300 pilots to meet an anticipated surge in air cargo demand.
This increase is primarily due to UPS securing a new multi-year contract with the U.S. Postal Service, previously held by FedEx for over two decades.
The hiring contradicts initial analyst assessments that UPS would need few new personnel for the contract, and follows recent pilot buyouts aimed at reducing costs.

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UPS is looking to hire more than 300 pilots to support an anticipated increase in air cargo demand driven by a new multi-year contract from the U.S. Postal Service, according to the union representing the company’s air crews.

“The Independent Pilots Association Executive Board was informed that UPS HR is resuming their pilot hiring process to account for the additional volume surge that will occur as the year progresses,” the union said in a statement shared with FreightWaves. “The initial projected estimate for hiring is expected to be 300+ additional crew members, which is subject to adjustment once the network plan for the additional USPS volume is finalized.”