UPS customers should expect some delays after the company experienced a devastating loss just weeks ago.
The delivery service grounded an entire fleet of cargo jets following a fatal explosion, which left 14 people dead.
UPS Airlines warned that there may be a months-long disruption as its cargo jets will be grounded indefinitely, Fox Business reported.
On November 4, a deadly crash occurred in Louisville, Kentucky, when a UPS cargo plane’s engine fell off and burst into flames.
UPS said it doesn’t plan on its fleet of McDonnell Douglas MD-11s, the type of plane involved in the crash, to take off anytime soon.
The plane was headed for Honolulu but exploded shortly after taking off from Louisville Muhammed Ali International Airport.
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The plane crashed into a nearby industrial area and killed three crew members along with 11 people on the ground.
According to the black box data, the plane was only 30 feet above ground level when the explosion occurred.
A fire was caught on camera igniting on the left engine in newly released images from the National Transportation Safety Board.
The company said it has grounded its fleet until it can meet Federal Aviation Administration standards.
Initially, the process was believed to take weeks, but now it is expected to take months, according to a memo from UPS Airlines president Bill Moore.
“Regarding the MD-11 fleet, Boeing’s ongoing evaluation shows that inspections and potential repairs will be more extensive than initially expected,” Moore wrote in the memo.
The company announced the grounding of the MD-11 fleet on November 7.
UPS Airlines said it grounded its fleet “out of an abundance of caution and in the interest of safety.”
“Contingency plans are in place to ensure we can continue to deliver the reliable service our customers around the world count on,” UPS said in the statement earlier this month.
The MD-11 fleet accounts for about 9% of UPS Airlines’ fleet.
FedEx also grounded its MD-11s after the crash.
Louisville plane crash victims
- Captain Dana Diamond, 62
- Captain Richard Wartenberg, 57
- First Officer Lee Truitt, 45
- Angela Anderson, 45
- Carlos Fernandez, 52
- Louisnes Fedon, 47
- Kimberly Asa, 3 (granddaughter of Louisnes Fedon)
- Trinadette “Trina” Chavez, 37
- Tony Crain, 65
- John Loucks, 52
- John Spray, 45
- Matthew Sweets, 37
- Ella Petty Whorton, 31
- Megan Washburn, 35
