UPS has temporarily grounded its fleet of McDonnell Douglas MD-11s, which was the type of plane involved in a deadly crash in Louisville, Kentucky, earlier this week.
The decision was made “out of an abundance of caution and in the interest of safety,” the company said in a statement late Friday night.
“We have made the decision to temporarily ground our MD-11 fleet,” UPS said. “MD-11s are approximately 9% of the UPS Airlines fleet. The grounding is effective immediately.”
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“We made this decision proactively at the recommendation of the aircraft manufacturer. Nothing is more important to us than the safety of our employees and the communities we serve,” the statement continued.
The company added that “contingency plans are in place to ensure we can continue to deliver the reliable service our customers around the world count on.”
FedEx also said it is grounding its MD-11s.
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“Out of an abundance of caution, we have made the decision to immediately ground our MD-11 fleet as we conduct a thorough inspection and safety review,” FedEx said in a statement. “We are immediately implementing contingency plans within our integrated air-ground network to minimize disruptions.”
At least 14 people were killed in the crash on Tuesday, including the three crew members on board and at least eleven people on the ground.
The UPS flight was headed from Louisville to Honolulu when it crashed at around 5:15 p.m. as it was taking off, hitting an industrial area near the airport and causing a fire.
“We pray for each of the victims’ families, and pray that no additional victims were lost as our first responders continue to search and seek answers,” Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg said in a video posted to X on Friday.
The National Transportation Safety Board is leading the investigation into the crash.
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