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In its full-year earnings report on Jan. 27, UPS announced it “accelerated its fleet modernization plans, completing the retirement of its MD-11 fleet during the fourth quarter of 2025.” The disclosure included an after-tax charge of $137 million due to a write-off of the model, which has been grounded by the Federal Aviation Administration since Nov. 4 when one of the company’s aircraft crashed on take-off from Louisville International Airport, killing the three crew and 12 on the ground. The accident, which was not mentioned in its earnings release, is still under investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board. UPS was the second largest operator of the aircraft after FedEx Express, with 26 aging MD-11Fs at the time of the crash that made up 9% of its fleet.

Jon Ostrower
2 hours ago

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Jon Ostrower
Jon Ostrower is Editor-in-chief of The Air Current, where he leads coverage of the global aerospace and aviation industries. Prior to launching TAC in June 2018, Mr. Ostrower served as Aviation Editor for CNN Worldwide, guiding the network’s global coverage of the business and operations of aviation. Mr. Ostrower joined CNN in 2016 following four and a half years at the Wall Street Journal. Based first in Chicago and then in Washington, D.C., he covered Boeing, aviation safety, and the business of global aerospace. Before that, Mr. Ostrower was editor of FlightBlogger for Flightglobal and Flight International Magazine covering the development of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner and other new aircraft programs from 2007 to 2012. He is also an instructor at the University of Southern California in the Viterbi School of Engineering's Aviation Safety and Security program. Mr. Ostrower, a Boston native, graduated from The George Washington University’s School of Media and Public Affairs with a bachelor’s degree in Political Communication. He is based in Seattle.

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