UPS, FedEx trying to secure enough freighters to enhance networks

United Parcel Service (UPS) and FedEx are working to secure enough freighters as they grapple with a ban on a pillar of their air cargo fleets through the crucial holiday delivery season, and potentially beyond. An indefinite grounding of the workhorse MD-11 jet is in place as investigators probe why an engine tore off a 34-year-old widebody just as it took off on Nov. 4 in the US. The resulting crash killed 14 people. The grounding has drained capacity and complicated operations for the world’s largest package delivery companies just as shipping volumes surge for the peak period to Christmas. The crash also injected new uncertainty into planning for an aircraft that was already approaching the end of its service life. UPS has 26 MD-11s, about 9% of its fleet. The 28 FedEx had in operation before the grounding accounted for roughly 4% of its in-service aircraft, as per a report.