Memphis-based logistics giant FedEx has closed the book on a chapter of airfreight history.
In early June, the company retired the last of its aging McDonnell Douglas MD-10-10F cargo
aircraft. Not only was it the last of its kind for FedEx, but it was indeed the final
active -10F still operating globally.
The world’s last remaining McDonnell Douglas MD-10-10F made its final journey on June 4th.
According to ch-aviation.com, the aircraft flew from Memphis to Victorville for storage.
Data from RadarBox.com shows that its last revenue-earning cargo-carrying deployment
was a round trip from Memphis International (MEM) to Puerto Rico’s San Juan Luis Muñoz
Marín International on June 2nd. According to the flight-tracking site, its final flight
across the US for storage took three hours and eight minutes, arriving at 16:20 local
time. The plane is the last of FedEx’s final four
-10Fs to have been retired this year. Tthe company withdrew the first in January, and
the other two last month. It originally planned to wrap the process up by late May, but just
missed out. The registration of this final plane was N562FE.
It is an aircraft that has had an interesting and diverse operational history that spans
more than 43 years. According to ch-aviation’s data, this aircraft began life as a passenger-carrying
DC-10 with US legacy carrier American Airlines back in February 1978.
It spent more than two decades with American under the registration N126AA, before joining
Hawaiian Airlines in March 2001. However, its time at Hawaiian was short-lived, and
FedEx acquired the aircraft in March 2003. At this time, it re-registered the plane as
N562FE, before converting it to a cargo-carrying DC-10-10F, in line with its operational requirements.
In January 2005, it was redesignated as an MD-10-10F. According to Boeing, this conversion
offered operators benefits such as “a two-person flight deck, weight savings, increased reliability,
and commonality with the MD-11 fleet.”
While FedEx is now without the last of its MD-10-10Fs, the MD-10-30F variant remains
active. Indeed, the company presently has 13 of this long-range variant in its fleet.
However, with a whopping average age of 39 years old, they also have limited time left
before they follow their -10F counterparts into retirement.
Simple Flying reported in January that FedEx has targeted 2023 as the year by which all
of its remaining MD-10s will have been retired. Moving forward, FedEx is placing an increased
emphasis on widebody twinjets to keep its large-scale logistical operations going. Its
former President and CEO David Cunnigham stated in 2018 that:
“The Boeing 767 and 777 freighters have brought greater efficiency and reliability
to our air operations. The 777, with its tremendous range characteristics, has allowed us to provide
faster transit times around the globe.” What do you make of this retirement? Have
you ever seen an MD-10-10F in person? Share your experience by leaving a comment.