#md11

anyways, i made use of Frankfurt Friday on VATSIM & flew my MD11 in Condor livery from EDDF to LEPA

here the photodump:

MD-11 flight from Ft Lauderdale to Eglin AFB

McDonnell Douglas MD-11 Lufthansa Cargo / UPS Airlines

Registration: D-ALCN / N262UP Type: MD-11 F Engines: 3 × GE CF6-80C2D1F Serial Number: 48806 First flight: Sep 14, 2000

On January 25, 2001, the last MD-11 rolled off the assembly line — manufacturer's serial number 48806. At Lufthansa Cargo, it was registered as D-ALCN. Thirty years of production of the MD-11 family, tracing back to the DC-10, came to a close without much fanfare.

Lufthansa Cargo began operating the MD-11 in 1998, replacing its 747-200F fleet. At its peak, the German carrier operated 19 of them, including aircraft acquired from Alitalia and VASP. But by the early 2010s, Lufthansa Cargo had already begun a planned transition to the Boeing 777F. As the German fleet was renewed, MD-11s made their way across the Atlantic to American cargo carriers — UPS Airlines, FedEx Express, and Western Global Airlines. D-ALCN followed suit in late 2019. The COVID-19 pandemic briefly slowed the retirement process, prompting Lufthansa Cargo to hold on to its last six aircraft of the type a little longer. The final flight, LH8161, was operated on October 17, 2021, by D-ALCC — the last commercial MD-11 flight in Lufthansa Cargo livery after 23 years of service.

By the early 2020s, every flying MD-11 had converged in the United States. FedEx operated 55, UPS had 42, and Western Global flew 11. The fleet was slowly but steadily winding down, giving way to twin-engine 777Fs and 767Fs. It seemed the type would simply fade away quietly. Then the Louisville disaster on November 4, 2025 brought MD-11 operations to an abrupt halt. On November 8, the FAA grounded the entire type pending inspections.

UPS announced the permanent retirement of its entire 27-aircraft fleet and wrote off $137 million. Among those aircraft was the former D-ALCN, by then registered as N262UP. Western Global, whose fleet was built around the MD-11, had no choice but to furlough its entire MD-11 pilot workforce — around 70 aviators. FedEx chose a wait-and-see approach and is targeting a return to service by May 2026.

Never quite winning over passenger airlines, the MD-11 found its true calling in cargo, where it served faithfully for 30 years. The aircraft suited freight operations far better than it ever did the passenger world. Three engines are no problem when the payload doesn't need windows, and fuel burn is measured per ton rather than per seat. Built in a run of exactly 200 aircraft, it was the last commercial airliner to bear the Douglas name — and the last three-engine wide-body ever to enter service.

Airframe 48806 was the last. A status of "stored" still leaves open the possibility of a return to the skies with another operator. Time will tell.

McDonnell Douglas MD-11 FedEx Express

Registration: N596FE Named: Peyton Type: MD-11 F Engines: 3 × GE CF6-80C2D1F Serial Number: 48554 First flight: Feb 1993

The McDonnell Douglas MD-11 is one of the last wide-body trijet airliners ever built by the American aviation industry. Developed as an evolutionary successor to the legendary DC-10, it made its maiden flight in 1990 and quickly found its calling not only in passenger service but — most successfully — as a freighter.

It is in this role that the MD-11 has become a true legend for FedEx Express. FedEx is the largest operator of this aircraft type: the company's fleet comprises 34 MD-11F aircraft, twenty-five of which were in active service at the time of the most recent events.

The MD-11F wins over its operators with outstanding performance figures: payload capacity reaches approximately 91 tonnes, while range with a full load stands at around 7,200 kilometres. Its three engines deliver reliable thrust even on the longest transoceanic routes.

In November 2025, however, a serious threat loomed over the MD-11 fleet. On the 4th of November, a UPS MD-11F cargo aircraft was destroyed in a crash in Louisville, Kentucky — the left engine separated in flight, killing 14 people. The FAA issued an emergency airworthiness directive and grounded all MD-11s pending inspections for fatigue cracks in the engine pylon attachments. FedEx was forced to stand down its entire fleet of the type.

The two largest operators responded in diametrically opposite ways. Since UPS was already in the process of retiring the MD-11, the tragedy merely accelerated that decision, and in late January the company announced the permanent withdrawal of all 27 of its aircraft, replacing them with the more modern Boeing 767-300. FedEx, by contrast, is in no hurry to part with its jets. Company management expressed "high confidence in the safe return" of the MD-11F to service and expects the flight ban to be lifted between March and May 2026. The enforced grounding cost FedEx approximately $175 million — money spent on leasing third-party aircraft in the middle of the peak shipping season.

The MD-11 in FedEx's signature purple-and-orange livery has been an iconic symbol of global express delivery for several decades now. And by all indications, the company intends to keep these aircraft in its fleet for several more years to come.

Global parcel and logistics giant UPS has confirmed it will retire all of its entire 27 strong fleet of McDonnell Douglas (Boeing) MD11s replacing them with the incoming Boeing 767 Freighters, 15 of which they expect to have delivered this year. All MD11s have been grounded since the 8th November following a fatal crash in Louisville, Kentucky last November which saw the No1 engine detach from…