View source for FedEx Express

{{Short description|Cargo airline based in Memphis, Tennessee, United States}}
{{Distinguish|text=the Philippine Basketball Association team that played under the "FedEx Express" name, later known as [[Barako Bull Energy]]}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2022}}
{{Infobox airline
| airline = FedEx Express
| image = N102FE Federal Express (FedEx) 2013 Boeing 767-3S2F(ER) - cn 42707 - 1061 "Kara" (29555862934).jpg
| logo = FedEx Express.svg
| logo_size = 150
| fleet_size = 696
| destinations = {{circa}} 375
| caption = A [[Boeing 767-300ER]] of FedEx Express
| IATA = FX
| ICAO = FDX
| callsign = FEDEX
| parent = [[FedEx Corporation]]
| founded = {{start date and age|1971|06|18}}
| num_employees = 278,000+ (2022)
| headquarters = [[Memphis, Tennessee]], United States
| key_people = [[Frederick W. Smith]] ([[President (corporate title)|president]] & [[Chief executive officer|CEO]])
| aoc = FDEA140A<ref name="FAA">{{Cite web|url=https://av-info.faa.gov/detail.asp?DSGN_CODE=FDEA&OPER_FAR=121&OPER_NAME=FEDERAL+EXPRESS+CORP|title=Federal Aviation Administration – Airline Certificate Information – Detail View|website=av-info.faa.gov|access-date=June 27, 2019|archive-date=July 19, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230719051014/https://av-info.faa.gov/detail.asp?DSGN_CODE=FDEA&OPER_FAR=121&OPER_NAME=FEDERAL+EXPRESS+CORP|url-status=dead}}</ref>
| hubs = {{ubl|class=nowrap|
  | '''Superhub'''
  | {{in5|3}} [[Memphis International Airport|Memphis]]
  | '''National hub'''
  | {{in5|3}} [[Indianapolis International Airport|Indianapolis]]
  | '''Regional hubs'''
  | {{in5|3}} [[Perot Field Fort Worth Alliance Airport|Fort Worth–Alliance]]
  | {{in5|3}} [[Piedmont Triad International Airport|Greensboro]]
  | {{in5|3}} [[Newark Liberty International Airport|Newark]]
  | {{in5|3}} [[Oakland International Airport|Oakland]]
  | '''International hubs'''
  | {{in5|3}} [[Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport|Anchorage]]
  | {{in5|3}} [[Cologne Bonn Airport|Cologne/Bonn]]
  | {{in5|3}} [[Dubai International Airport|Dubai–International]]
  | {{in5|3}} [[Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport|Guangzhou]]
| {{in5|3}} [[Shanghai Pudong International Airport|Shanghai Pudong]]

  | {{in5|3}} [[Hong Kong International Airport|Hong Kong]]
  | {{in5|3}} [[Liège Airport|Liège]]
  | {{in5|3}} [[London Stansted Airport|London–Stansted]]
  | {{in5|3}} [[Miami International Airport|Miami]]
  | {{in5|3}} [[Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport|Mumbai]]
  | {{in5|3}} [[Kansai International Airport|Osaka–Kansai]]
  | {{in5|3}} [[Charles de Gaulle Airport|Paris–Charles de Gaulle]]
  | {{in5|3}} [[Taoyuan International Airport|Taipei–Taoyuan]]
  | {{in5|3}} [[Narita International Airport|Tokyo–Narita]]
  }}
}}
'''FedEx Express''' is a major American [[cargo airline]] based in [[Memphis, Tennessee]], United States. As of 2023, it is the world's [[List of largest airlines|largest cargo airline]] in terms of fleet size and freight tons flown.<ref>[http://www.airportspotting.com/worlds-largest-airlines/ The World's Largest Airlines] (archived July 2018)</ref> It is the namesake and leading subsidiary of [[FedEx|FedEx Corporation]], delivering freight and packages to more than 375 destinations over 220 countries and territories across six continents each day.<ref name="FI">{{cite news | title= Directory: World Airlines | work= [[Flight International]] | page= 81 | date= April 3, 2007}}</ref> FedEx Express is also the world's largest express transportation company.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Solved FedEx is the world's largest express transportation {{!}} Chegg.com |url=https://www.chegg.com/homework-help/questions-and-answers/fedex-world-s-largest-express-transportation-company-addition-world-s-largest-fleet-cargo--q39373159 |access-date=28 May 2024}}</ref>

[[File:GDN OE-IXA 3.jpg|alt=A FedEx Boeing 737-800(BCF).|thumb|A FedEx Express Boeing 737-800(BCF) operated by European airline [[ASL Airlines Belgium]]]]

The company's global "Superhub" is located at [[Memphis International Airport]].<ref>"[http://news.van.fedex.com/files/FedEx%20Express%20Super%20Hub%20in%20Memphis.pdf Memphis Super Hub] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080708194053/http://news.van.fedex.com/files/FedEx%20Express%20Super%20Hub%20in%20Memphis.pdf |date=July 8, 2008 }}"</ref> In the United States, FedEx Express has a national hub at [[Indianapolis International Airport]]. U.S. regional hubs are located at airports in [[Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport|Anchorage]], [[Perot Field Fort Worth Alliance Airport|Fort Worth]], [[Piedmont Triad International Airport|Greensboro]], [[Miami International Airport|Miami]], [[Newark Liberty International Airport|Newark]], [[Oakland International Airport|Oakland]] and [[Ontario International Airport|Ontario]]. International regional hubs are located at the airports in [[Cologne Bonn Airport|Cologne/Bonn]], [[Dubai International Airport|Dubai]], [[Kempegowda International Airport|Bengaluru]], [[Indira Gandhi International Airport|Delhi]], [[Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport|Guangzhou]], [[Liège Airport|Liege]], [[Milan Malpensa Airport|Milan]], [[Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport|Mumbai]], [[Kansai International Airport|Osaka]], [[Charles de Gaulle Airport|Paris]], [[Incheon International Airport|Seoul]], [[Shanghai Pudong International Airport|Shanghai]], [[Changi Airport|Singapore]], [[Taoyuan International Airport|Taipei]], [[Narita International Airport|Tokyo]], and [[Toronto Pearson International Airport|Toronto]].<ref>"[http://fedex.com/us/about/news/hubs.pdf?link=4 FedEx Express Global Network]" {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051231235649/http://fedex.com/us/about/news/hubs.pdf?link=4 |date=December 31, 2005 }}</ref>

==History==

===Early history===
[[File:Boeing 727-25(F), Federal Express AN1133251.jpg|thumb|left|A Federal Express [[Boeing 727|Boeing 727-100F]], with several other 727s in the background. The Boeing 727s remained the backbone of the fleet until the mid-2000s.]]

The concept for what became Federal Express came to [[Frederick W. Smith|Fred Smith]] in the mid-1960s, while an undergraduate student {{nowrap|at [[Yale University|Yale]].<ref name="lmtlat80">{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=-qtfAAAAIBAJ&pg=2464%2C1355693 |work=[[Lewiston Morning Tribune]] |location=Idaho |agency=[[Los Angeles Times]] |last=Dallos |first=Robert E. |title=Federal Express |date=April 4, 1980 |page=3D }}</ref><ref name="bloomberg">{{cite web |title=Online Extra: Fred Smith on the Birth of FedEx |website=[[Bloomberg News]] |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2004-09-19/online-extra-fred-smith-on-the-birth-of-fedex |date=September 19, 2004 |access-date=March 22, 2017 }}</ref>}} For an economics class, he submitted a paper which argued that in modern technological society time meant money more than ever before and with the advent of miniaturized electronic circuitry, very small components had become extremely valuable. He argued that the consumer society was becoming increasingly hungry for mass-produced electronic items, but the decentralizing effect induced by these very devices gave manufacturers tremendous logistic problems in delivering the items. Smith felt that the necessary delivery speed could only be achieved by using air transport. But he believed that the U.S. air cargo system was so inflexible and bound by regulations at that time that it was completely incapable of making really fast deliveries.<ref name="lmtlat80" />

In his paper, Smith proposed a new concept—have one carrier be responsible for a piece of cargo from local pick-up right through to ultimate delivery, operating its own aircraft, depots, posting stations, and delivery vans. To ensure accurate sorting and dispatching of every item of freight, the carrier would fly it from all of its pickup stations to a central clearinghouse, from where the entire operation would be controlled. For years it has been misreported that the professor teaching the course gave the paper the [[Academic grading in the United States|grade of "C"]],<ref name="lmtlat80" /> but Fred clarified in a 2004 interview that the grade is not known and the reports of a "C" grade were due to his response to a reporter who asked him what grade he received and his reply was, "I don't know, probably made my usual C."<ref name="bloomberg" /><ref name="snopes">{{cite web |url=http://www.snopes.com/business/origins/fedex.asp |title=snopes.com: FedEx Origin |date=May 28, 2009 |access-date=February 18, 2014 }}</ref> Despite the professor's opinion, Smith held on to the idea.<ref name="flightglobal1981">[http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1981/1981%20-%200946.html 'Federal Express: the Memphis Connection'] Flight International April 4, 1981</ref>

Smith founded Federal Express Corporation in 1971 with $4 million from his inheritance and $91 million in venture capital<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.thebalancesmb.com/federal-express-fedex-2221098 |title=How Did the Delivery Service Federal Express Become FedEx? |work=The Balance Small Business }}</ref> in [[Little Rock, Arkansas]],<ref name="about-Fedex">{{cite web |title=Connecting People and Possibilities: The History of FedEx |work=About FedEx |url=http://about.van.fedex.com/our-story/history-timeline/history/|access-date=October 29, 2016}}</ref> where Smith was operating Little Rock Airmotive. After a lack of support from [[Little Rock National Airport]], Smith moved the company to Memphis, Tennessee and [[Memphis International Airport]] in 1973.<ref name="FedEx Timeline | About FedEx">{{cite web|url=http://about.van.fedex.com/our-story/history-timeline/history/ |title=History – About FedEx |work=About FedEx |publisher=FedEx |access-date=March 30, 2015}}</ref>

[[File:FedEx Dassault Falcon 20.JPG|thumb|First FedEx Express aircraft, a [[Dassault Falcon 20]] named ''Wendy'', on display at [[Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center]]]]

The company started overnight operations on April 17, 1973, with fourteen [[Dassault Falcon 20]]s that connected twenty-five cities in the United States.<ref name="FedEx Timeline | About FedEx" /> Fred Smith's childhood friend, [[John Fry (record producer)|John Fry]] of [[Ardent Studios]], sent Ardent partner [[Terry Manning]] to the Federal Express home office on Democrat Road near the Memphis Airport with the first package to be put into the system. That night, 186 packages were carried.<ref name="FedEx Timeline | About FedEx" /> Services included both overnight and two-day package and envelope delivery services, as well as Courier Pak. Federal Express began to market itself as "the freight service company with 550-mile-per-hour delivery trucks". However, the company began to experience financial difficulties, losing up to a million USD a month. While waiting for a flight home to Memphis from Chicago after being turned down for capital by [[General Dynamics]], Smith impulsively hopped on a flight to Las Vegas, where he won $27,000 playing blackjack. The winnings enabled the cash-strapped company to meet payroll the following Monday. "The $27,000 wasn't decisive, but it was an omen that things would get better", Smith says.<ref name="www.entrepreneur.com">{{cite web|url=http://www.entrepreneur.com/growyourbusiness/radicalsandvisionaries/article197542.html |title=Fred Smith |publisher=Entrepreneur.com |date=October 9, 2008 |access-date=November 2, 2010}}</ref> In the end, he raised somewhere between $50 and $70 million, from twenty of the US's leading risk venture speculators, including such companies as the First National City Bank of New York and the Bank of America in California. At the time, Federal Express was the most highly financed new company in U.S. history, in terms of venture capital.<ref name="flightglobal1981" />

Federal Express installed its first drop box in 1975 which allowed customers to drop off packages without going to a company local branch.<ref name="FedEx Timeline | About FedEx" /> In 1976, the company became profitable with an average volume of 19,000 parcels per day.

The company's early growth was fueled importantly by its advertising. In 1973, the company promoted itself as [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XIy0XuMhneE "A whole new airline, for packages only."] Later, the company produced the famous [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NeK5ZjtpO-M "Fast Talking Man"] commercial, under the banner: "When it absolutely, positively has to be there overnight."

===Rapid growth===
[[File:FEDEX MD-11F(AF) (N612FE48605555).jpg|thumb|left|A [[McDonnell Douglas MD-11]] pictured at Narita Airport in 1995, wearing the old ''Federal Express'' purple livery which was used until 1994]]

A 1977 legislative change (Public Law 95–163) removed restrictions on the routes operated by all-cargo airlines, and enabled Federal Express to purchase its first large aircraft: seven [[Boeing 727|Boeing 727-100s]].<ref name="FedEx Timeline | About FedEx"/> In 1978, the company went public and was listed on [[The New York Stock Exchange]].<ref name="FedEx Timeline | About FedEx"/> The following year, it became the first shipping company to use a computer to manage packages when it launched "COSMOS" (Customers, Operations and Services Master Online System), a centralized computer system to manage people, packages, vehicles, and weather scenarios in real time. In 1980, the company implemented "DADS" (Digitally Assisted Dispatch System) to coordinate on-call pickups for customers; this system allows customers to schedule pickups for the same day.<ref name="FedEx Timeline | About FedEx"/>

In 1980, Federal Express began service to a further 90 cities in the United States. The following year, the company introduced its overnight letter to compete with the [[United States Postal Service|U.S. Postal Service]]'s Express Mail, and allowed document shipping for the first time. Later, in 1981, it started international operations with service to Canada, and officially opened its "Superhub" at the [[Memphis International Airport]].<ref name="ReferenceB">{{cite web|url=http://about.fedex.designcdt.com/our_company/company_information/fedex_history/fedex_timeline#1980-1989 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120212192329/http://about.fedex.designcdt.com/our_company/company_information/fedex_history/fedex_timeline#1980-1989 |archive-date=February 12, 2012 |title=FedEx Timeline &#124; About FedEx |publisher=FedEx |access-date=November 2, 2010}}</ref>

[[File:First FedEx van Memphis TN 2013-05-17 002.jpg|thumb|First FedEx van on display at the world headquarters complex in Memphis, Tennessee]]

Federal Express' sales topped $1 billion for the first time in 1983.<ref name="www.entrepreneur.com" /> In the same year the company introduced [[ZapMail]], a [[fax]] service that guaranteed the delivery of up to five pages in less than two hours for $35. ZapMail would later become a huge failure for the company, costing it hundreds of millions of dollars.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.fundinguniverse.com/company-histories/FedEx-Corporation-Company-History.html |title=FedEx Corporation – Company History |publisher=Fundinguniverse.com |access-date=November 2, 2010}}</ref>

In the 1970s, with the enormous growth, FedEx needed a method for quality control. They developed the tracking number for internal use to find that packages were moving properly.<ref>{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.wired.com/2013/04/40-years-of-fedex/|title=Shipshape: Tracking 40 Years of FedEx Tech|magazine=[[Wired (magazine)|Wired]]}}</ref> This info was eventually applied to all packages and be made available to the public to find the status of one's own package. In 1986, the company introduced the "SuperTracker", a hand-held bar code scanner which brought [[Tracking and tracing|parcel tracking]] to the shipping industry for the first time.<ref name="ReferenceB"/> Federal Express continued its rapid expansion in the late 1980s, and opened its hub at [[Newark Liberty International Airport]] in 1986 and at [[Indianapolis International Airport]] and [[Oakland International Airport]] in 1988.<ref name="ReferenceB"/> In 1989, the company acquired [[Flying Tiger Line]] to expand its international service, and subsequently opened a hub at [[Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport]] to accommodate this new, expanded service.<ref name="ReferenceB"/> As the volume of international shipments increased, Federal Express created Clear Electronic Customs Clearance System to expedite regulatory clearance while cargo is en route.<ref name="about-Fedex"/>

===FedEx era===
[[File:FedEx Express truck.jpg|thumb|A FedEx Express delivery truck, showing the dual branding, both "FedEx" and "Federal Express", that the company used from 1994 to 2000]]

In 1994, Federal Express rebranded itself as "FedEx" for marketing purposes, officially adopting a nickname that had been used for years. Also that year, FedEx launched {{mono|fedex.com}} as the first transportation web site to offer online package tracking, which allowed customers to conduct business via Internet. In 1995, the company acquired air routes from Evergreen International to start services to China, and opened an Asia and Pacific hub in [[Subic Bay International Airport]] in the [[Philippines]]. In 1997, FedEx opened its hub at [[Fort Worth Alliance Airport]] and, in 1999, opened a European hub at [[Charles de Gaulle Airport]] in France.<ref name="FedEx Timeline | About FedEx"/>

In the 1990s, FedEx planned, but later abandoned, a joint service with [[British Airways]] to have BA fly a [[Concorde]] supersonic jet airliner to [[Shannon Airport]] in Ireland with FedEx packages on board, and then FedEx would have flown the packages [[Subsonic flight|subsonically]] to their delivery points in Europe.<ref>{{Cite magazine |date=September 28, 1981 |url=https://content.time.com/time/subscriber/article/0,33009,953146,00.html |title=Supersonic Delivery |magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]] |page=73 |volume=118 |issue=13 |issn=0040-781X}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Barr |first=Robert |date=August 20, 2000 |title=Concorde Won Prestige, Few Converts |page=A15 |agency=Associated Press |work=Albuquerque Journal |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/99686113/albuquerque-journal/ |access-date=April 13, 2022 |via=Newspapers.com}}</ref> [[Ron Ponder]], a vice president at the time, was in charge of this proposed venture.

In 1998, FedEx merged with [[Caliber System]] and reorganized as a holding company, FDX Corporation. In 2000, FDX changed its name to [[FedEx|FedEx Corporation]] and standardized the names of its subsidiaries around the "FedEx" brand. The original "Federal Express" cargo airline changed its name to "FedEx Express" to distinguish its express shipping service from others offered by the FedEx parent company.<ref name="FedEx Timeline | About FedEx"/>

In 2001, FedEx Express signed a 7-year sole source contract to transport all Express Mail and Priority Mail for the [[United States Postal Service]]. Prior to 2001, the Postal Service contracted with multiple airlines on a regional basis for these services. This contract allowed FedEx to place drop boxes at every USPS post office. In 2007, the contract was extended until September 2013. In 2013, FedEx Express won a new 7-year contract for the services ending in 2020, beating out [[UPS Airlines]] which launched a competitive bid. In 2017, the Postal Service extended the 2013 contract to 2024. The USPS continues to be the largest customer of FedEx Express.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.usps.com/communications/news/press/2006/pr06_048.htm |title=Usps News Release: U.S. Postal Service, Fedex Express Agree To New Contract For Air Transportation Of Mail |publisher=Usps.com |date=August 1, 2006 |access-date=November 2, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110413232047/http://www.usps.com/communications/news/press/2006/pr06_048.htm |archive-date=April 13, 2011 }}</ref>

In December 2006, FedEx Express acquired the British courier company ANC Holdings Limited for £120 million.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.fedex.com/cgi-bin/content.cgi?link=4&template=gb_pr&content=about/pressreleases/emea/pr121806&cc=gb|title=FedEx Acquires UK Express Company ANC|date=December 18, 2006|access-date=February 17, 2007|publisher=FedEx|archive-date=March 16, 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070316203056/http://www.fedex.com/cgi-bin/content.cgi?link=4&template=gb_pr&content=about/pressreleases/emea/pr121806&cc=gb|url-status=dead}}</ref> The acquisition added 35 sort facilities to the FedEx network and the company introduced Newark, Memphis, and Indianapolis routes directly to UK airports instead of stopping at FedEx's European hub at Charles de Gaulle Airport.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.fedex.com/cgi-bin/content.cgi?link=4&template=gb_pr&content=about/pressreleases/emea/pr121806&cc=gb |title=About FedEx – Press Releases |publisher=FedEx |date=December 18, 2006 |access-date=November 2, 2010 |archive-date=June 13, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110613113107/http://www.fedex.com/cgi-bin/content.cgi?link=4&template=gb_pr&content=about/pressreleases/emea/pr121806&cc=gb |url-status=dead }}</ref> In September 2007, ANC was rebranded as FedEx UK. FedEx Express also acquired Flying-Cargo Hungary Kft to expand service in Eastern Europe.<ref name="about-Fedex"/>

===Economic downturn===
{{Multiple image
| image1            = Purple Pattern Fedex N313FE McDonnell Douglas DC-10-30F SJC.jpg
| image2            = FedEx White & Purple.jpg
| direction         = vertical
<!--| caption1 = -->| caption2          = FedEx Express retired older [[McDonnell Douglas DC-10]] (top) and [[Airbus A310]] (bottom) aircraft amid the [[Great Recession]]
| total_width       = 220
}}

The [[Great Recession|late-2000s recession]] hit parent company [[FedEx Corporation]] and its express division hard. Many companies looking for ways to save money stopped shipping or moved to cheaper alternatives, such as surface shipping. FedEx Corporation announced large network capacity reductions at FedEx Express, including retiring some of its oldest and least efficient aircraft such as the [[McDonnell Douglas DC-10]] and the [[Airbus A310]]. FedEx also announced layoffs and work hour reductions at some of its hubs.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://news.van.fedex.com/Q3FY09 |title=FedEx Corp. Reports Third Quarter Earnings &#124; FedEx Global Newsroom |publisher=News.van.fedex.com |date=March 19, 2009 |access-date=November 2, 2010 |archive-date=May 18, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120518204814/http://news.van.fedex.com/Q3FY09 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

In December 2008, FedEx postponed delivery of the new [[Boeing 777 Freighter]]; four were delivered in 2010 as previously agreed, but in 2011, FedEx only took delivery of four, rather than the ten originally planned. The remaining aircraft were delivered in 2012 and 2013.<ref name="trafficworld.com">[http://www.trafficworld.com/newssection/airparcel.asp?id=49140] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081225130524/http://www.trafficworld.com/newssection/airparcel.asp?id=49140|date=December 25, 2008}}</ref>

FedEx Express closed a hub for the first time in its history, when operations at its Asian-Pacific hub at [[Subic Bay International Airport]] in the [[Philippines]] ceased on February 6, 2009.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gmanews.tv/story/147511/Fedex-closing-hub-operations-in-Subic-on-Friday |title=Fedex closing hub operations in Subic on Friday – Regions – GMANews.TV – Official Website of GMA News and Public Affairs – Latest Philippine News |website=GMANews.tv |date=February 5, 2009 |access-date=November 2, 2010}}</ref> The operations were transferred to [[Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport]] in southern China.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gmanews.tv/story/147597/FedEx-to-maintain-standby-operations-in-Subic-until-April|title=FedEx to maintain standby operations in Subic until April|publisher=[[GMA Network]]|date=February 6, 2009|access-date=February 9, 2009}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=FedEx closing hub in Philippines, moving to China|publisher=[[Xinhua]]|url=http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2009-02/07/content_10778185.htm|date=February 7, 2009|access-date=February 9, 2009|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121106111415/http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2009-02/07/content_10778185.htm|archive-date=November 6, 2012}}</ref> FedEx Express had planned to open the new Chinese hub in December 2008, but in November 2008, the company delayed the opening until early 2009, citing the need to fully test the new hub.

On June 2, 2009, FedEx opened the new hub building at [[Piedmont Triad International Airport]] in [[Greensboro, North Carolina]]. FedEx announced in December 2008 that it still intended to open the building on time despite the bad economy. The hub's operations would be scaled back from 1,500 employees to only 160, the size of the previous operations at the much smaller sorting facility.{{Citation needed|date=March 2016}} FedEx gave no time line as to when the hub would be operating at expected hub levels.{{Citation needed|date=March 2016}} The hub had been delayed many years since FedEx first picked the airport to be its [[Mid-Atlantic States|Mid-Atlantic]] U.S. hub back in 1998. FedEx had to fight many complaints from nearby homeowners about the anticipated noise generated by its aircraft, because most of its flights take place at night. A third runway was built to accommodate the hub operation and the extra aircraft.<ref>[http://www.flyfrompti.com/airport_projects.asp PTIA Greensboro Airport Construction Projects] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060318095423/http://www.flyfrompti.com/airport_projects.asp |date=March 18, 2006 }}</ref> FedEx began full hub operations at the Greensboro facility on September 2, 2018.

On October 27, 2010, FedEx opened its Central and Eastern European hub at [[Cologne Bonn Airport]]. The hub features a fully automated sorting system that can process up to 18,000 packages per hour. The roof of the hub features FedEx's largest solar power installation, producing 800,000 kilowatt hours per year.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://news.van.fedex.com/Cologne2010 |title=FedEx Inaugurates New Solar-Powered Hub at Cologne Bonn Airport &#124; FedEx Global Newsroom |website=News.Van.FedEx.com |access-date=November 2, 2010 |archive-date=May 21, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120521193856/http://news.van.fedex.com/Cologne2010 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

On December 7, 2018, the company announced the retirement of David Cunningham on December 31, 2018. He was succeeded as CEO and president by [[Raj Subramaniam]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://about.van.fedex.com/newsroom/raj-subramaniam-named-as-fedex-express-president-and-ceo/ |title=Raj Subramaniam Named as FedEx Express President and CEO &#124; FedEx Global Newsroom |website=News.Van.FedEx.com |access-date=December 19, 2018 |archive-date=February 20, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190220154538/https://about.van.fedex.com/newsroom/raj-subramaniam-named-as-fedex-express-president-and-ceo/ |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name=Indian>{{cite web | url= https://www.connectedtoindia.com/indian-american-rajesh-subramaniam-appointed-as-president-and-ceo-of-fedex-4922.html | title=Rajesh Subarmaniam appointed as President and CEO |website=connectedtoindia.com | date=December 27, 2018 |access-date=December 27, 2018}}</ref>

===Expansion===
On November 6, 2019, FedEx Express announced its return to the [[Philippines]], an Asia–Pacific hub.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.philstar.com/business/2019/11/06/1966258/fedex-returning-aspac-hub-philippines|title=FedEx returning AsPac hub to Philippines|website=www.philstar.com|date=November 6, 2019|access-date=June 27, 2021}}</ref> The company says it does not want to relocate Asia–Pacific hub to the Philippines, but they are planning to expand operations in [[Clark Freeport Zone|Clark]], [[Pampanga]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.bworldonline.com/fedex-says-it-is-not-relocating-asia-pacific-hub-to-clark/|title=FedEx says it is not relocating Asia Pacific hub to Clark|website=[[BusinessWorld]] |date=November 7, 2019|access-date=June 27, 2021}}</ref> On October 6, 2020, FedEx celebrates its 36 Years of Operations with new Philippines gateway in Clark.<ref name="FEDEX NEWSROOM">{{Cite web|url=https://newsroom.fedex.com/newsroom/fedex-express-marks-36-years-of-operations-in-the-philippines-with-new-philippines-gateway-in-clark/|title=FedEx Express Marks 36 Years of Operations In the Philippines With New Philippines Gateway In Clark|date=October 6, 2020|access-date=June 27, 2021}}</ref> The company built and opened a 17,000 sq.m. facility (costing US$30 million) at [[Clark Freeport Zone|Clark]] in July 2021.<ref name="FEDEX NEWSROOM"/><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://news.abs-cbn.com/business/02/15/21/fedex-moves-opening-of-30-m-clark-gateway-hub-to-july|title=FedEx moves opening of $30-M Clark gateway hub to July|work=ABS-CBN News |date=February 15, 2021|access-date=June 27, 2021}}</ref>
{{Clear}}

==Fleet==
{{Multiple image
| image1            = FedEx, N686FE, Airbus A300F4-605R (49588839328).jpg
| image2            = FedEx, N974FD, Boeing 757-2Y0 SF (31398843608).jpg
| image3            = FedEx, N110FE, Boeing 767-3S2F ER (49585196088).jpg
| image4            = FedEx Boeing 777-F28 Zhao.jpg
| image5            = FedEx MD-11F N607FE.jpg
| image6            = FedEx ATR-42 EI-FXC.jpg
| image7            = EI-FXI ATR 72 FedEx OSL.jpg
| image8            = FedEx Feeder Cessna 208B Super Cargomaster.jpg
| image9            = FedEx Feeder Cessna 408F SkyCourier N762FX.jpg
| direction         = vertical
| caption1          = FedEx Express [[Airbus A300-600RF]]
| caption2          = FedEx Express [[Boeing 757-200SF]]
| caption3          = FedEx Express [[Boeing 767-300F]]
| caption4          = FedEx Express [[Boeing 777F]]
| caption5          = FedEx Express [[McDonnell Douglas MD-11F]]
| caption6          = FedEx Feeder [[ATR 42-300F]]
| caption7          = FedEx Feeder [[ATR 72-200F]]
| caption8          = FedEx Feeder [[Cessna 208B Super Cargomaster]]
| caption9          = FedEx Feeder [[Cessna 408 SkyCourier]]
| total_width       = 220
}}

===Current fleet===
{{As of|2025|5}}, FedEx Express operates the following aircraft:<ref>{{cite web|url=https://s21.q4cdn.com/665674268/files/doc_financials/2025/q3/v2/FedEx-Q3-FY25-Stat-Book.pdf|title=FedEx FY2025-Q3 report|publisher=fedex.com|date=March 20, 2025|access-date=March 25, 2025}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable" style="margin-left:auto; margin-right:auto; text-align:center"
!Aircraft
!In<br />service
!Orders
!Notes
|-
|[[Airbus A300-600RF]]
|64
|—
|Includes the last [[Airbus A300]] ever built, N692FE.<br />Older aircraft to be retired and replaced by [[Boeing 767-300F]].<br />Largest operator.
|-
|[[Boeing 757-200SF]]
|87
|—
|Largest operator.
|-
|[[Boeing 767-300F]]
|145
|7<ref name=":2" />
|Deliveries through 2025.<br />Replacing older [[Airbus A300-600RF]] and [[McDonnell Douglas MD-11|MD-11F]].<br />Largest operator.
|-
|[[Boeing 777F]]
|59
|8<ref name=":2">{{cite web|url=http://www.boeing.com/commercial/#/orders-deliveries|title=Boeing: Commercial|website=www.boeing.com|access-date=May 5, 2016}}</ref>
|Deliveries through 2027.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ch-aviation.com/news/151815-fedex-adds-b777fs-and-atr72s-delays-md-11f-retirement|title=FedEx adds B777Fs and ATR72s, delays MD-11F retirement|website=ch-aviation.com|access-date=24 March 2025}}</ref><br />Replacing [[McDonnell Douglas MD-11|MD-11F]].<br />American launch customer and largest operator.
|-
|[[McDonnell Douglas MD-11F]]
|25
|—
|Largest operator.<br />To be retired in 2032 and replaced by [[Boeing 767-300F]] and [[Boeing 777F]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ch-aviation.com/news/151815-fedex-adds-b777fs-and-atr72s-delays-md-11f-retirement|title=FedEx adds B777Fs and ATR72s, delays MD-11F retirement|website=ch-aviation.com|access-date=24 March 2025}}</ref>
|-
!Total
!380
!15
!
|-
!colspan=4|FedEx Feeder contracted fleet
|-
|[[ATR 42-300F]]
|15
|—
|
|-
|[[ATR 72-200F]]
|19
|—
|
|-
|[[ATR 72|ATR 72-600F]]
|24
|16
|Launch customer.<br />Deliveries began in 2020.<ref>{{cite web|title=FedEx Express orders up to 50 new-build ATR freighters|url=http://atwonline.com/airframes/fedex-express-orders-50-new-build-atr-freighters|website=atwonline.com|access-date=November 9, 2017|language=en}}</ref>
|-
|[[Cessna 208B Super Cargomaster]]
|231
|—
|Largest operator.
|-
|[[Cessna 408 SkyCourier]]
|27
|23
|Launch customer.<br />Deliveries began in May 2022.<ref>{{cite web|title=FedEx orders 100 new Cessna 408 SkyCourier freighters|url=http://www.deagel.com/news/Cessna-and-FedEx-Express-Launch-the-Cessna-SkyCourier-Large-Utility-Turboprop_n000017199.aspx|access-date=November 28, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.aircargonews.net/sectors/express/textron-aviation-starts-cessna-skycourier-deliveries-to-fedex-express/|title=Textron Aviation starts Cessna SkyCourier deliveries to FedEx Express|publisher=www.aircargonews.net|date=May 10, 2022|access-date=May 10, 2022}}</ref>
|-
!Total
!316
!39
!
|}

Note: "F" stands for freighter aircraft. "SF" stands for special freighter aircraft, which are converted from passenger aircraft.

FedEx Express operates the world's largest cargo air fleet with more than 650 aircraft,<ref>{{cite web|last1=Gates|first1=Dominic|title=Amazon lines up fleet of Boeing jets to build its own air-cargo network|url=http://www.seattletimes.com/business/boeing-aerospace/amazon-to-lease-20-boeing-767s-for-its-own-air-cargo-network/|work=[[The Seattle Times]]|date=March 9, 2016}}</ref> and is the largest operator of the [[Airbus A300]], [[ATR 42]], [[Cessna 208]], [[McDonnell Douglas DC-10|DC-10/MD-10]], and the [[MD-11]].{{citation needed|date=March 2019}} The company took delivery of the last Boeing 727 built in September 1984 and the last A300/A310 built in July 2007.<ref>{{cite press release|title=Airbus delivers last A300 to Fedex|publisher=Airbus.com|date=July 12, 2007|url=http://www.airbus.com/en/presscentre/pressreleases/pressreleases_items/07_07_12_a300_to_Fedex.html|access-date=August 3, 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070831055718/http://www.airbus.com/en/presscentre/pressreleases/pressreleases_items/07_07_12_a300_to_Fedex.html|archive-date=August 31, 2007|url-status=dead}}</ref> To be able to respond to changing freight demand quickly (i.e. more cargo that can fit on an aircraft), or to prevent cargo from being stranded on aircraft grounded with mechanical problems, FedEx Express tends to keep a number of empty or underloaded aircraft (usually five) in the air during the overnight to "sweep" the US.<ref>[https://newrepublic.com/article/environment-energy/the-end-aviation "What will happen when America can't afford to fly?"] ''[[The New Republic]]'', Post date Friday August 16, 2008</ref><ref>[http://www.utsandiego.com/uniontrib/20051013/news_1b13fedex.html Flexible as FedEx – Shipper's agility in meeting challenges points the way for U.S. economy] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150414205822/http://www.utsandiego.com/uniontrib/20051013/news_1b13fedex.html|date=April 14, 2015 }}, ''[[New York Times News Service]]'', Post date October 13, 2005</ref>

In 2007, FedEx revealed plans to acquire 90 [[Boeing 757-200SF]]s. Because production ended in 2005, FedEx was left with no choice but to acquire secondhand aircraft from other airlines to replace its aging Boeing 727 fleet, at a cost of US$2.6 billion.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.orlandosentinel.com/business/orl-fedex2606sep26,0,3995368.story?coll=orl-business-headlines|title=FedEx to spend $2.6 billion to replace its fleet of 727s|website=OrlandoSentinel.com|date=September 26, 2006|access-date=November 2, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071013093620/http://www.orlandosentinel.com/business/orl-fedex2606sep26,0,3995368.story?coll=orl-business-headlines|archive-date=October 13, 2007|url-status=dead}}</ref> The 757's debut for revenue service was on May 28, 2008. The last Boeing 727 was retired on June 21, 2013, after 35 years of service with FedEx.{{Citation needed|date=March 2016}}

FedEx Express was scheduled to be the launch airline for the [[Airbus A380]] freighter, having ordered ten for delivery between 2008 and 2011 with options on ten more. The company had planned to introduce the first aircraft into service in August 2008 for use on routes between hubs in the United States and Asia. Faced with A380 delays of more than two years, FedEx canceled these orders<ref>{{cite news|author=with Ben Mutzabaugh|url=http://blogs.usatoday.com/sky/|title=FedEx Cancels Its Airbus A380 Order|work=[[USA Today]] |date= October 13, 2010|access-date=November 2, 2010}}</ref> and replaced them with an order for 15 [[Boeing 777F]]s with an option for 15 more, to be delivered from 2009 through 2011. FedEx has said that [[Airbus]] will allow it to transfer its nonrefundable deposits to purchases of future aircraft, and has stated it may consider the A380F when the A380 program is less affected by construction delays. In December 2008, FedEx postponed delivery of some of the 777s: four were to be delivered in 2010 as previously agreed, and four more in 2011, rather than the 10 originally planned. Delivery of the remaining aircraft was postponed to 2012 and 2013.<ref name="trafficworld.com"/> In January 2009, FedEx exercised its options to buy 15 more 777 freighters and acquired options for a further 15.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/rbssIndustryMaterialsUtilitiesNews/idUSN1235559820090112|work=Reuters|title=UPDATE 1-FedEx buys more Boeing freighters, defers deliveries|first=Bill|last=Rigby|date=January 12, 2009}}</ref>

On December 15, 2011, FedEx announced an order for 27 [[Boeing 767-300F]]s to replace its MD-10s. The 767s will be delivered between 2014 and 2018, with three aircraft being delivered in 2014, and with six aircraft delivered each year between 2015 and 2018. The airline also delayed deliveries of eleven Boeing 777Fs currently on order, but converted two options to firm orders.<ref name="767-freighter-order-Flightglobal">{{cite web|last=Ranson|first=Lori|title=FedEx signs on for 27 767-300Fs|url=http://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/fedex-signs-on-for-27-767-300fs-366066/|publisher=Flightglobal|access-date=December 16, 2011|date=December 15, 2011}}</ref><ref name="767-freighter-order-Boeing">{{cite press release|title=Boeing, FedEx Announce Order for 767 and 777 Freighters|url=http://boeing.mediaroom.com/index.php?s=43&item=2077|publisher=[[Boeing]]|access-date=December 16, 2011|date=December 15, 2011}}</ref>

On July 2, 2012, FedEx announced an order for an additional 15 Boeing 767-300Fs to replace its MD-10 and A310-200 aircraft. As part of this announcement, it converted four of its Boeing 777 freighter order to 767-300Fs, for a total of 19 new 767s.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.aircargoworld.com/Air-Cargo-News/2012/07/fedex-express-to-grow-fleet-with-767-300s/028167| title=FedEx Express to grow fleet with 767-300s|date=July 2, 2012|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130829225108/http://www.aircargoworld.com/Air-Cargo-News/2012/07/fedex-express-to-grow-fleet-with-767-300s/028167|archive-date=August 29, 2013 }}</ref> The first Boeing 767-300F was delivered to the airline on September 4, 2013.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.aircargoworld.com/Air-Cargo-News/2013/09/fedex-express-receives-first-767-300-freighter/0415177|title=FedEx Express receives first 767-300 freighter|publisher=Air Cargo World|date=September 4, 2013|access-date=September 10, 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130907190806/http://www.aircargoworld.com/Air-Cargo-News/2013/09/fedex-express-receives-first-767-300-freighter/0415177|archive-date=September 7, 2013}}</ref>

With one of the world's largest aircraft fleets, FedEx Express is the largest contributor to the [[Civil Reserve Air Fleet|United States Civil Reserve Air Fleet]] in terms of aircraft pledged.<ref>[http://www.acq.osd.mil/log/tp/new_airlift_policies/craf_study_final_%20may12003.pdf Sustaining the Civil Reserve Air Fleet (CRAF) Program] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080528044527/http://www.acq.osd.mil/log/tp/new_airlift_policies/craf_study_final_%20may12003.pdf|date=May 28, 2008}}</ref>

The first Dassault Falcon 20C delivered to FedEx (operated with the registration N8FE) is on display at the [[Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center]] of the [[National Air and Space Museum]] at the [[Smithsonian Institution]].

===Historical fleet===
[[File:Federal Express Boeing 747-200F; N631FE, June 1991.jpg|thumb|N631FE, the only 747 ever painted in full Federal Express livery]]

{| class="wikitable" style="margin-left:auto; margin-right:auto; text-align:center"
|-
! Aircraft
! Total
! Introduced
! Retired
! Replaced by
! Remarks
|-
| [[Airbus A310-200|Airbus A310-200F]]
| 49
| 1994
| 2016
| [[Boeing 757-200SF]]
| Includes N450FE, first A310 prototype.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.airportspotting.com/catching-airbus-prototypes/|title = Catching up with the Airbus prototypes|date = April 17, 2015}}</ref>
|-
| [[Airbus A310-300|Airbus A310-300F]]
| 21
| 2000
| 2020
| [[Boeing 767-300ERF]]
| Last commercial flight was January 4, 2020.
|-
| [[Boeing 727-100F]]
|rowspan=2|75
|rowspan=2|1977<ref name=":0">{{Cite news|url=https://about.van.fedex.com/newsroom/end-of-an-era-as-fedex-express-retires-last-b727/|title=End of an Era as FedEx Express Retires Last B727|work=About FedEx|access-date=April 3, 2018|language=en-US|archive-date=April 4, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180404134603/https://about.van.fedex.com/newsroom/end-of-an-era-as-fedex-express-retires-last-b727/|url-status=dead}}</ref>
|rowspan=2|2013<ref name=":0" />
|rowspan=2|[[Boeing 757-200SF]]
|rowspan=2| Last commercial flight was June 21, 2013.<br />FedEx continues to sell the 727 engine [[hush kit]] developed with [[Pratt & Whitney]].<ref name=hush-kit>{{cite web|title=Noise Reduction – FedEx History – Airplane Noise|url=http://www.fedex.com/us/hushkit/history/|date=April 2, 2022|access-date=September 12, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160319054300/http://www.fedex.com/us/hushkit/history/|url-status=live|archive-date=March 19, 2016}}</ref>
|-
| [[Boeing 727-200F]]
|-
| [[Boeing 737-200C]]
| 5
| 1978
| 1981
| None
|
|-
| [[Boeing 747|Boeing 747-100SF]]
| 11
|rowspan=2| 1989
|rowspan=2| 1996
|rowspan=2| [[McDonnell Douglas MD-11F]]
|rowspan=2| Acquired from [[Flying Tiger Line]] merger.
|-
| [[Boeing 747-200F]]
| 11
|-
| [[Dassault Falcon 20]]
| 33
| 1973<ref name=":1" />
| 1985<ref>{{cite web|url=https://aviationweek.com/air-transport/take-tour-fedexs-memphis-ramp-1980#:~:text=FedEx%20operated%20a%20peak%20of,their%20last%20one%20by%201985.|title=Take A Tour Of FedEx's Memphis Ramp In 1980|website=aviationweek.com|access-date=May 13, 2021}}</ref>
| [[Boeing 727]]<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|url=http://images.fedex.com/downloads/about/company-info/dassault-aviation.pdf|title=French Falcon Gave FedEx its Wings}}</ref>
|
|-
| [[Douglas DC-8|Douglas DC-8-73CF]]
| 6
| 1989
| 1991
| None
| Acquired from [[Flying Tiger Line]] merger.
|-
| [[McDonnell Douglas DC-10-10|McDonnell Douglas DC-10-10F]]
| 25
| 1980
| 2021
| [[Boeing 767-300F]]
| <ref name="ch-aviation.com">{{Cite web|url=https://www.ch-aviation.com/portal/news/104581-fedex-express-retires-worlds-last-md-10-10f|title=FedEx Express retires world's last MD-10-10(F)|website=Ch-Aviation|date=June 10, 2021}}</ref>
|-
| [[McDonnell Douglas DC-10|McDonnell Douglas DC-10-30F]]
| 6
| 1980
| 2022
| [[Boeing 767-300F]]<br />[[McDonnell Douglas MD-11]]
|
|-
| [[McDonnell Douglas DC-10-10|McDonnell Douglas MD-10-10F]]
| 64
| 1980
| 2021
| [[Boeing 767-300F]]
| <ref name="ch-aviation.com" />
|-
| [[McDonnell Douglas DC-10-10|McDonnell Douglas MD-10-30F]]
| 18
| 1980
| 2023
| [[Boeing 767-300F]]
| <ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.ch-aviation.com/portal/news/123216-fedex-express-ends-md-10-operations|title=FedEx Express ends MD-10 operations|website=Ch-Aviation|date=5 January 2023}}</ref>
|}

==FedEx Feeder==
[[File:EI-FXA ATR.42 ( F ) FedEx Feeder (9541404082).jpg|thumb|A freighter-configured [[ATR 42-300]], operated by [[ASL Airlines Ireland]]]]
[[File:FedEx Feeder Cessna 408F SkyCourier N762FX.jpg|thumb|[[Cessna 408 SkyCourier]] owned by FedEx Feeder and operated by [[Mountain Air Cargo]]]]
[[File:Cessna 208B Caravan 'N876FE' FedEx (13006463414).jpg|thumb|A FedEx [[Cessna 208 Caravan|208B Super Cargomaster]], operated by [[CSA Air]]]]

FedEx Feeder is the branding applied to smaller FedEx Express [[propeller (aircraft)|propeller]]-driven aircraft that feed packages to and from airports served by larger jet aircraft.

In the United States, FedEx Express operates FedEx Feeder on a [[Aircraft lease|dry lease]] program where contractors rent aircraft from FedEx to operate routes as assigned by the company. The contractor is responsible for providing a crew to operate the aircraft and coordinating all maintenance. In exchange, FedEx pays a monthly administrative fee and reimburses the contractor for any expenses related to the operation and maintenance of the aircraft. Because the aircraft is owned by FedEx, it may not be used by the contractor for any purpose other than necessary for operating FedEx Feeder routes assigned to it.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Aircraft dry lease and services agreement between FedEx and {{!}} AIR T INC {{!}} Business Contracts {{!}} Justia |url=https://contracts.justia.com/companies/air-t-inc-6670/contract/185155/ |access-date=2023-04-04 |website=contracts.justia.com}}</ref>

Outside the United States, contractors operating FedEx Feeder routes may sometimes fly their own aircraft. In that case, the aircraft may not be in the FedEx Feeder livery and the contractor may be able to carry cargo for other companies with the FedEx cargo.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.aircontractors.com/detail.aspx?page=ServicesContract |title=Aircraft Contract Services |publisher=Air Contractors |access-date=November 2, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100914142254/http://www.aircontractors.com/detail.aspx?page=ServicesContract |archive-date=September 14, 2010 }}</ref>

'''List of contract carriers:'''
{{Div col|colwidth=30em}}
* [[ASL Airlines Ireland]] (largest contractor, European partner)
* [[Airwork]] 
* [[Baron Aviation Services]]
* [[Cargojet]]
* Carson Air (regional routes in Western Canada)
* [[Corporate Air]]
* [[CSA Air]]
* [[Empire Airlines]]
* [[IFL Group]]
* [[Merlin Airways]]
* [[Morningstar Air Express]] (also operates mainline FedEx service within Canada)
* [[Mountain Air Cargo]]
* [[Solinair]]
* [[Swiftair]]
* [[West Air (United States)|West Air Inc.]]
* [[Wiggins Airways]]
{{div col end}}

==Environmental initiatives==

===Delivery fleet===
[[File:Modec FedEx truck, LA.jpg|thumb|[[Navistar eStar]] [[all-electric vehicle|all-electric van]] in [[Los Angeles]] in 2010. The EV was manufactured in the U.S. under license from [[Modec]].<ref name=Navistar>{{cite web|url=http://www.plugincars.com/first-navistar-electric-trucks-are-deployed-400-more-coming-year-44016.html|title=First Navistar Electric Trucks Are Deployed, With 400 More Coming This Year |author=Zach McDonald|publisher=PluginCars.com|year=2010|access-date=October 1, 2012}}</ref>]]

In 2003, FedEx Express introduced [[Hybrid vehicle|hybrid]] electric/diesel trucks into its fleet. At the time, the company had hoped to replace its entire 30,000 W700 delivery truck fleet with the hybrid, but in June 2009, only 170<ref name="citizen">{{cite web|url=http://citizenshipblog.fedex.designcdt.com/hybridresutls |title=News Item: FedEx Express and Iveco Present First Test Results For Hybrid-Electric Vans &#124; FedEx Citizenship Blog |publisher=Citizenshipblog.fedex.designcdt.com |date=April 6, 2009 |access-date=November 2, 2010}}</ref> were on the road. 93 of these operated in the United States in New York, [[Tampa]], [[Sacramento]], and Washington, D.C.; while the rest operated in Tokyo, Toronto, and [[Turin]].<ref name="environmentalleader.com"/> FedEx blamed the low number on a lack of investment from other major companies in hybrid technology. It had hoped that other companies would order hybrid trucks, and that tax credits would be issued by the United States government to reduce the cost.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.environmentalleader.com/2008/10/02/fedex-hybrid-truck-plan-hits-speed-bump/ |title=FedEx Hybrid Truck Plan Hits Speed Bump |website=Environmentalleader.com |date=October 2, 2008 |access-date=November 2, 2010}}</ref>

FedEx claimed that the hybrid truck in the 2003 test decreased soot by 96% and emissions by 65%. It also claimed that the truck achieved more than 50% better fuel consumption while still having the same cargo capacity as a conventional truck.<ref name="environmentalleader.com">{{cite web|url=https://www.environmentalleader.com/2007/02/fedex-adds-electric-hybrids-to-denver-fleet/|title=FedEx Adds Electric Hybrids to Denver Fleet|first=Paul|last=Nastu|date=February 22, 2007}}</ref>

In 2009, FedEx Express partnered with [[Iveco]] and started a new test program of [[Hybrid vehicle|hybrid]] electric/diesel vans. The test program consisted of ten hybrid vans deployed in the Italian cities of [[Milan]] and Turin. FedEx claimed the new vans would have a 26.5% reduction in fuel consumption and a decrease in [[carbon dioxide]] emissions of 7.5 tons when compared to FedEx's standard vehicle. The trial was set to conclude in May 2010 and FedEx would then evaluate if the vans should be deployed on a larger scale.<ref name="citizen"/>

In July 2009, FedEx Express partnered with [[Freightliner Trucks|Freightliner]] and [[Eaton Corporation]] to convert 92 delivery trucks into hybrids. The conversions boosted FedEx's fleet of [[Hybrid vehicle|hybrid-electric vehicles]] by more than 50 percent to 264. The trucks were placed into service in California, in Los Angeles, [[San Diego]] and San Francisco.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.bizjournals.com/charlotte/stories/2009/07/20/daily24.html |title=Charlotte project converts FedEx trucks to hybrids |publisher=Bizjournals.com |date= July 21, 2009|access-date=November 2, 2010}}</ref>

In November 2009, FedEx Express purchased 51 gasoline-electric hybrid vehicles from [[Azure Dynamics]], to be put into service in [[The Bronx]], New York City. The Bronx became FedEx's first all hybrid station. The addition would bring FedEx Express' fleet of hybrid electric and electric vehicles to 325.<ref>{{cite press release|url=http://news.van.fedex.com/node/15150 |title=FedEx Further Expands its Environmentally Friendly Vehicle Fleet With Order of 51 New Azure Dynamics Hybrid Electric Delivery Vans |publisher=fedex.com |date=November 9, 2009 |access-date=November 2, 2010}}</ref>

===Aircraft modernization===
{{More citations needed|section|date=May 2024}}
[[File:Fedex-727-pwm.jpg|thumb|A FedEx Boeing 727–200 at [[Portland International Jetport|Portland, Maine]] in 2009]]

FedEx Express, like most cargo airlines, operates a fleet of older and less efficient aircraft when compared to passenger airlines. However, the company has been making an effort to phase out older aircraft, especially its [[trijet]]s, and replace them with newer twin-jet models.<ref name="Telage">{{cite web |author1=Hugh Morris |title=This is the world's biggest airline, but you're not allowed to fly it |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/travel-truths/inside-a-cargo-plane-fedex-express/ |website=Telegraph.co.uk |publisher=[[The Daily Telegraph|The Telegraph]] |access-date=7 May 2024 |language=English |date=21 November 2017 }}</ref>

The trijet Boeing 727 was replaced in 2013 with the twin-jet [[Boeing 757]]; which the company says is more fuel-efficient.<ref name=ModernFleet>{{cite web |title=End of an Era as FedEx Express Retires Last B727 |url=https://newsroom.fedex.com/newsroom/global-english/end-of-an-era-as-fedex-express-retires-last-b727 |website=newsroom.fedex.com |publisher=[[FedEx]] |access-date=7 May 2024 |language=English |date=21 June 2013 }}</ref> A portion of the Boeing 727s were donated to flight schools.<ref>{{cite web |title=FedEx Donates Boeing 727 to Trinidad & Tobago Civil Aviation Authority |url=https://newsroom.fedex.com/newsroom/latin-america-english/fedex-donates-boeing-727-to-trinidad-tobago-civil-aviation-authority |website=newsroom.fedex.com |publisher=[[FedEx]] |access-date=7 May 2024 |language=English |date=20 August 2013 }}</ref>

Since 2013, FedEx has been purchasing new built 767 and 777 freighters, taking advantage of lower pricing as Boeing worked to replace both models. The purchase set off a major shuffle in the FedEx fleet. The 777 aircraft have replaced the older trijet MD-11 on long-range, international routes, freeing up the MD-11 fleet to fly shorter routes. That move allowed the old tri-jet [[McDonnell Douglas DC-10|DC-10]] aircraft to be retired in 2023.<ref name=ModernFleet/> The new planes also allowed the older, smaller Airbus A310 freighters to be retired in 2020. As more planes are delivered through 2025, FedEx plans to retire the remaining MD-11 aircraft, along with some Airbus A300 freighters.{{Citation needed|date=May 2024}}

==Major incidents and accidents==
Over the history of Federal Express and FedEx Express, there have been eight incidents in its [[Mainline (aeronautics)|mainline fleet]], plus an attempted hijacking, two deaths and eight aircraft [[hull loss]]es. This table only lists mainline fleet crashes that happened under FedEx Express' direct operations, and does not list either crashes related to the FedEx Feeder fleet, or incidents or accidents associated with the [[Flying Tiger Line]] after its acquisition by Federal Express until its operations were fully merged with Federal Express.
{{Clear}}
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="margin:auto; text-align:center; background:#fff"
|-
!Flight<BR />number
!Date
!Registration
!Aircraft type
!Fatalities/occupants
!Details
|-
|[[Federal Express Flight 705|705]]
|1994-04-07
|{{Airreg|N|306FE}}
|[[McDonnell Douglas DC-10-30]]
|0/4
|Auburn Calloway, a Federal Express pilot (and former military pilot) facing possible termination for inconsistencies in his claimed prior experience, attempted to hijack the aircraft and crash it. He intended to make the crash appear as an accident in order for his family to receive his Federal Express insurance money. The crew of Flight 705 were able to subdue Calloway and land the aircraft safely. The crew's injuries disabled them from flying professionally ever again. Calloway was eventually sentenced to two life sentences in prison. The aircraft was repaired and returned to service.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19940407-0 |title=ASN Aircraft accident description (FedEx Flight 705)|publisher=Aviation-safety.net |access-date=November 2, 2010}}</ref>
|-
|[[FedEx Express Flight 1406|1406]]
|1996-09-05
|{{Airreg|N|68055}}
|[[McDonnell Douglas DC-10-10]]
|0/5
|Bound for [[Logan International Airport]], the aircraft experienced an in-flight fire in the cabin cargo compartment, and diverted to [[Stewart International Airport]] in [[Newburgh (town), New York|Newburgh, New York]] to make an emergency landing. After landing, the fire consumed the aircraft.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19960905-1 |title=ASN Aircraft accident description (FedEx Flight 1406)|publisher=Aviation-safety.net |access-date=September 7, 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ntsb.gov/news/events/1998/newburgh_ny/index.html |title=Aircraft Accident Report – In-Flight Fire/Emergency Landing Federal Express Flight 1406 Douglas DC-10-10, N68055|publisher=[[National Transportation Safety Board]] |date= July 22, 1998|access-date=September 7, 2014}}</ref>
|-
|[[FedEx Express Flight 14|14]]
|1997-07-31
|{{Airreg|N|611FE}}
|[[McDonnell Douglas MD-11]]
|0/5
|Arriving at [[Newark Liberty International Airport]] from [[Anchorage International Airport]] at the end of a scheduled flight, the number 3 (right-side) engine contacted the runway during a rough landing which caused the aircraft to flip over. The crew escaped through a cockpit window before the aircraft was destroyed in the ensuing fire.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19970731-0 |title=ASN Aircraft accident description (FedEx Express Flight 14)|publisher=Aviation-safety.net |access-date=November 2, 2010}}</ref>
|-
|[[FedEx Express Flight 87|87]] 
|1999-10-17
|{{Airreg|N|581FE}}
|[[McDonnell Douglas MD-11]]
|0/2
|Upon landing at [[Subic Bay International Airport]] from [[Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport]], the aircraft overran the whole length of the runway and plunged into the bay where it was completely submerged. It was subsequently [[Write-off|written off]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19991017-0&lang=en |title=ASN Aircraft accident description (FedEx Express Flight 87) |publisher=Aviation-safety.net |date=October 17, 1999 |access-date=November 2, 2010}}</ref>

|-
|[[FedEx Express Flight 1478|1478]]
|2002-07-26
|{{Airreg|N|497FE}}
|[[Boeing 727-232]]
|0/3
|On final approach to [[Tallahassee Regional Airport]] from [[Memphis International Airport]], the aircraft's landing gear hit a tree about {{convert|70|ft|m}} high and {{convert|3650|ft|m}} short of the runway which caused it to crash into the trees and open field short of the runway into parked construction vehicles, coming to rest about 1,000 feet short of the runway and facing in the opposite direction of its flight path. The aircraft was destroyed in the ensuing fire.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=20020726-0 |title=ASN Aircraft accident description (FedEx Express Flight 1478) |publisher=Aviation-safety.net |access-date=September 7, 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.airdisaster.com/photos/fdx1478/2.shtml |title=Accident Photo: FedEx Flight 1478 (2) |publisher=AirDisaster.Com |date=July 26, 2002 |access-date=November 2, 2010 |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100915092836/http://www.airdisaster.com/photos/fdx1478/2.shtml |archive-date=September 15, 2010 }}</ref>
|-
|[[FedEx Express Flight 647|647]]
|2003-12-18
|{{Airreg|N|364FE}}
|[[McDonnell Douglas MD-10-10]]
|0/7
|After landing at [[Memphis International Airport]] from [[Metropolitan Oakland International Airport]], the right main landing gear collapsed and caused the aircraft to veer off the runway. The aircraft was destroyed in the subsequent fire.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ntsb.gov/investigations/AccidentReports/Reports/AAR0501.pdf |title=Hard Landing, Gear Collapse, Federal Express Flight 647, Boeing MD-10-10F, N364FE, Memphis, Tennessee, December 18, 2003|publisher=[[National Transportation Safety Board]]|access-date=September 7, 2014}}</ref>
<!--Commented out because this was a FedEx Feeder service, not under FedEx's AOC|-
|8060
|2005-10-06
|[http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=20051006-0 C-FEXS]
|Cessna 208B Super Cargomaster<BR /><small>(operated by [[Morningstar Air Express]])</small>
|1/1
|Operating as a [[#FedEx Feeder|Fedex Feeder]] flight, the aircraft departed [[Winnipeg International Airport]], destined for [[Thunder Bay International Airport]]. On initial climb-out, the aircraft experienced in-flight icing, causing it to rapidly lose altitude. The aircraft crashed on a [[Canadian National Railway|CN]] main line while attempting to return to Winnipeg. The pilot was killed but she is credited with trying to avoid casualties on the ground and avoiding several tall buildings.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/federal-express-pilot-dead-in-winnipeg-plane-crash-1.522934 |title=Federal Express pilot dead in Winnipeg plane crash | work=CBC News}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=20051006-0 |title=ASN Aircraft accident description (Morningstar Air Express Flight 8060) |publisher=Aviation-safety.net |access-date=September 7, 2014}}</ref>-->
|-
|[[FedEx Express Flight 630|630]]
|2006-07-28
|{{Airreg|N|391FE}}
|[[McDonnell Douglas MD-10-10]]
|0/3
|After landing at [[Memphis International Airport]] following a flight from [[Seattle-Tacoma International Airport]], the left main landing gear collapsed. Following the landing gear failure, the number 1 (left-side) engine contacted the runway and caused a small fire and structural damage to the aircraft. The aircraft was written off.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=20060728-0 |title=ASN Aircraft accident description (FedEx Express Flight 647)|publisher=Aviation-safety.net |access-date=November 2, 2010}}</ref>
|-
|[[FedEx Express Flight 80|80]]
|2009-03-23
|{{Airreg|N|526FE}}
|[[McDonnell Douglas MD-11]]
|2/2
|The first fatal accident in the mainline history of FedEx Express, this aircraft suffered multiple bounced landings on its nose before crashing at [[Narita International Airport]] while landing in windy conditions. The aircraft touched down and bounced on its nose gear back into the air, coming down again on its nose gear before bouncing back up. The nose gear impacted one final time before the aircraft banked to the left and the wing clipped the ground. The aircraft burst into flames and came to rest upside down, killing both the captain and first officer, the only occupants.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7958367.stm |title=Cargo plane crash lands in Japan |work=BBC News |date=March 23, 2009 |access-date=November 2, 2010}}</ref>
|-
|[[FedEx Express Flight 910|910]]
|2016-10-28
|{{Airreg|N|370FE}}
|McDonnell Douglas MD-10-10
|0/2
|Upon landing on Runway 10L at [[Fort Lauderdale–Hollywood International Airport]], the left engine caught fire on the landing roll. The port side gear then collapsed during the fire approximately {{convert|6600|feet}} down the runway. The aircraft was written off.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://avherald.com/h?article=49ffaff0&opt=0|title=Accident: Fedex MD10 at Fort Lauderdale on Oct 28th 2016, main gear collapse on landing, aircraft on fire|publisher=AVHerald|date=October 28, 2016|access-date=October 29, 2016}}</ref>
|}

==Northrop Grumman Guardian==
[[File:Fedex-md11-N525FE-051109-21-16.jpg|thumb|A [[McDonnell Douglas MD-11]] during a test flight of the Guardian, which can be seen mounted to the belly aft of the wings]]

In 2003, FedEx Express partnered with the [[Department of Homeland Security]] and [[Northrop Grumman]] to develop and flight test an anti-missile system, the [[Northrop Grumman Guardian]]. It is intended that this system could be deployed on commercial airliners to protect them from terrorist attacks such as the [[2003 Baghdad DHL attempted shootdown incident|attempted shootdown]] of a [[DHL Aviation|DHL]] [[Airbus A300]] in 2003. FedEx supplied an MD-11 and a leased [[Boeing 747]] for the flight test phase.

FedEx Express became the first air carrier to deploy the Guardian on a commercial flight in September 2006, when it equipped an MD-11 freighter with the pod.<ref name=awst1>{{cite web |url=http://www.aviationweek.com/aw/generic/story_generic.jsp?channel=awst&id=news/aw091806p3.xml |title=FedEx To Fly Counter Manpads-Equipped MD-11 |access-date=October 29, 2007 |last=Doyle |first=John M. |date=September 17, 2006 |work=Aviation Week & Space Technology |archive-date=February 7, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120207214656/http://www.aviationweek.com/aw/generic/story_generic.jsp?channel=awst&id=news%2Faw091806p3.xml |url-status=dead }} Note that only the first of two pages has been preserved in the archive.org record.</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=http://aviationweek.com/awin/fedex-fly-counter-manpads-equipped-md-10|title=FedEx To Fly Counter Manpads-Equipped MD-11|last=Doyle|first=John M.|date=September 18, 2006|work=[[Aviat. Week Space Technol.|Aviation Week & Space Technology]]|access-date=November 11, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171112133444/http://aviationweek.com/awin/fedex-fly-counter-manpads-equipped-md-11|archive-date=November 12, 2017|url-status=dead|url-access=subscription }}</ref> By December 2007, the company had nine aircraft equipped with the system for further testing and evaluation.<ref name=ng2>[http://www.northropgrumman.com/review/article_004.html "The Department of Homeland Security C-MANPADS Program", Northrop Grumman] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071224074252/http://www.northropgrumman.com/review/article_004.html |date=December 24, 2007 }}</ref> Because of the program's success, the [[U.S. Congress]] directed DHS to extend it to passenger-carrying aircraft.<ref>[http://www.northropgrumman.com/review/article_004.html Northrop Grumman – Article Four] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071224074252/http://www.northropgrumman.com/review/article_004.html |date=December 24, 2007 }}</ref>

==Sorting facilities==
{{col-float}} 
'''Americas'''
* '''{{Flag|United States}}'''
** [[Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport|Anchorage, AK]] – International transit hub
** [[Fort Worth Alliance Airport|Fort Worth, TX]] – Southwest hub
** [[Piedmont Triad International Airport|Greensboro, NC]] – Mid-Atlantic hub
** [[Indianapolis International Airport|Indianapolis, IN]] – National hub
** [[Miami International Airport|Miami, FL]] – Latin America hub<ref name="Miami-hub">{{cite web|last1=Mann|first1=Joseph A. Jr.|title=FedEx Express has Miami hub, Americas reach|url=http://www.miamiherald.com/news/business/biz-monday/article4479824.html|website=Miami Herald|access-date=March 15, 2016}}</ref> 
** [[Memphis International Airport|Memphis, TN]] – Global "Superhub"<ref name="IndyHub">{{cite web|last1=Terdiman|first1=Daniel|title=Welcome to 'the Matrix': At FedEx's sorting hub, 1 night, 1.5M packages|url=http://www.cnet.com/news/at-fedex-sorting-packages-1-5-million-at-a-time/|website=CNET|access-date=March 15, 2016}}</ref>
** [[Newark Liberty International Airport|Newark, NJ]] – East Coast hub
** [[Oakland International Airport|Oakland, CA]] – West Coast hub
{{col-float-break}}
'''Asia'''
* '''{{Flag|China}}'''
** [[Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport|Guangzhou]]
* '''{{Flag|Hong Kong}}'''
** [[Hong Kong International Airport|Hong Kong]]
* '''{{Flag|Japan}}'''
** [[Kansai International Airport|Osaka–Kansai]]
** [[Narita International Airport|Tokyo–Narita]]
* '''{{Flag|Taiwan}}'''
** [[Taoyuan International Airport|Taipei–Taoyuan]]
* '''{{Flag|United Arab Emirates}}'''
** [[Dubai International Airport|Dubai–International]]<ref name="Abudabi-sort">{{cite web|title=FedEx Opens New Facility In Abu Dhabi's Airport|url=http://www.gulfbusiness.com/articles/industry/fedex-opens-new-facility-in-abu-dhabis-airport/|website=Gulf Business|access-date=March 15, 2016|archive-date=March 15, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160315172338/http://www.gulfbusiness.com/articles/industry/fedex-opens-new-facility-in-abu-dhabis-airport/|url-status=dead}}</ref>
{{col-float-break}}
'''Europe'''
* '''{{Flag|France}}'''
** [[Charles de Gaulle Airport|Paris–Charles de Gaulle]]
* '''{{Flag|Belgium}}'''
** [[Liège Airport|Liege]] – Intra-Europe hub
* '''{{Flag|Germany}}'''
** [[Cologne Bonn Airport|Cologne/Bonn]]
* '''{{Flag|United Kingdom}}'''
** [[London Stansted Airport|London–Stansted]]
{{col-float-end}}
{{Clear}}

==See also==
{{Div col}}
* [[Air transportation in the United States]]
* [[Aviation]]
* [[DHL Aviation]]
* [[FedEx Corporation]]
* [[List of airlines of the United States]]
* [[List of airports in the United States]]
* [[TNT Airways]]
* [[Transportation in the United States]]
* [[UPS Airlines]]
* [[USPS]]
{{div col end}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
* [https://www.fedex.com/ FedEx]
* [https://www.fedex.com/en-us/about/history.html FedEx history]
* [https://www.fedex.com/en-us/shipping/express.html FedEx Express site]

{{Navboxes
| list =
{{FedEx}}
{{Airlines of the United States}}
{{IATA members|northam}}
{{Airlines for America}}
}}
{{Portal bar|United States|Companies|Aviation}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fedex Express}}
[[Category:FedEx Express| ]]
[[Category:Airlines based in Tennessee]]
[[Category:Airlines for America members]]
[[Category:Regional Airline Association members]]
[[Category:Companies based in Memphis, Tennessee]]
[[Category:FedEx]]
[[Category:Airlines established in 1971]]
[[Category:Cargo airlines of the United States]]
[[Category:American companies established in 1971]]
[[Category:1971 establishments in Arkansas]]
[[Category:Cargo airlines]]