FedEx Express facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
FedEx Express

Founded	June 18, 1971; 54 years ago (1971-06-18) (as Federal Express)
Commenced operations	April 17, 1973; 52 years ago (1973-04-17)
AOC #	FDEA140A
Hubs	SuperHub Memphis Asia/Pacific Bengaluru Delhi Guangzhou Osaka–Kansai Seoul–Incheon Shanghai–Pudong Singapore Taipei–Taoyuan Tokyo–Narita Canada Toronto–Pearson Europe Cologne/Bonn Liège Milan–Malpensa Paris–Charles de Gaulle Middle East Dubai–International United States National Hub Indianapolis Regional Hubs Anchorage Fort Worth–Alliance Greensboro Miami Newark Oakland Ontario (CA)
Fleet size	727
Destinations	c. 375
Parent company	FedEx Corporation
Headquarters	Memphis, Tennessee, United States
Key people	Frederick W. Smith (President & CEO)
Employees	278,000+ (2022)

FedEx Express is a huge American cargo airline. It is based in Memphis, Tennessee, United States. As of 2023, it is the world's biggest cargo airline. This means it has the most planes and carries the most freight.

FedEx Express is the main part of FedEx Corporation. Every day, it delivers packages to over 375 places in more than 220 countries. You can find FedEx Express on six different continents! It is also the world's largest company for fast transportation.

The main hub for FedEx Express is at Memphis International Airport. This is like their central sorting station. In the United States, they also have a big hub in Indianapolis International Airport. Other important places for FedEx Express include Anchorage, Fort Worth, Greensboro, Miami, Newark, Oakland, and Ontario.

Around the world, FedEx Express has hubs in places like Cologne/Bonn (Germany), Dubai (UAE), Bengaluru (India), Liege (Belgium), Milan (Italy), Osaka (Japan), Paris (France), Shanghai (China), Singapore, Tokyo (Japan), and Toronto (Canada).

History of FedEx Express

How it Started

A Federal Express Boeing 727-100F with other 727s. These planes were key to the fleet until the mid-2000s.

The idea for Federal Express came from Fred Smith in the 1960s. He was a student at Yale. He wrote a paper saying that in our modern world, time is very important. Small electronic parts had become very valuable. He thought that people wanted mass-produced electronics, but delivering them quickly was a big problem for companies.

Smith believed that only air transport could deliver things fast enough. But the air cargo system in the U.S. back then was slow and had many rules. It relied on different companies working together. This made fast deliveries hard.

Smith suggested a new idea. One company should handle a package from when it's picked up until it's delivered. This company would have its own planes, sorting centers, and delivery vans. To make sure every package was sorted correctly, all items would fly to a central hub. From there, everything would be controlled.

Fred Smith started Federal Express Corporation in 1971. He used $4 million of his own money and got $91 million from investors. He first set up the company in Little Rock, Arkansas. But he moved it to Memphis, Tennessee and Memphis International Airport in 1973.

The first FedEx Express plane, a Dassault Falcon 20 named Wendy. It is now on display at a museum.

The company began overnight deliveries on April 17, 1973. They used fourteen Dassault Falcon 20 planes. These planes connected twenty-five cities in the United States. On that first night, 186 packages were carried. Federal Express called itself "the freight service company with 550-mile-per-hour delivery trucks."

At first, the company had money problems. They were losing a lot of money each month. One time, Fred Smith won $27,000 playing blackjack in Las Vegas. This money helped the company pay its workers that week. Smith later said it was a sign that things would get better. He ended up raising a lot more money from investors. Federal Express became the most highly funded new company in U.S. history at that time.

In 1975, Federal Express put out its first drop boxes. This allowed customers to drop off packages easily. By 1976, the company was making a profit. They were handling about 19,000 packages every day.

Growing Bigger

A McDonnell Douglas MD-11 in 1995. It shows the old Federal Express purple color used until 1994.

In 1977, new laws allowed all-cargo airlines to fly more routes. This helped Federal Express buy its first big planes: seven Boeing 727-100s. In 1978, the company became public, meaning its shares could be bought and sold.

The next year, Federal Express was the first shipping company to use computers to manage packages. They launched "COSMOS." This system helped manage people, packages, vehicles, and even weather in real time. In 1980, they added "DADS." This system helped coordinate pickups for customers.

In 1980, Federal Express started serving 90 more cities in the U.S. The next year, they began offering overnight letter delivery. This was to compete with the U.S. Postal Service. They also started international flights to Canada. Their main "SuperHub" at Memphis International Airport officially opened.

The first FedEx van on display at the company's headquarters in Memphis.

By 1983, Federal Express's sales reached over $1 billion. That same year, they tried a fax service called ZapMail. It promised to deliver up to five pages in less than two hours. But ZapMail ended up losing the company hundreds of millions of dollars.

In the 1970s, FedEx grew very fast. They needed a way to keep track of packages. They created the tracking number. This helped them know where packages were. Later, customers could use this tracking number to check their own packages.

In 1986, the company introduced the "SuperTracker." This was a hand-held scanner that used barcodes. It brought package tracking to the shipping industry for the first time. Federal Express kept growing fast in the late 1980s. They opened hubs in Newark Liberty International Airport in 1986, and in Indianapolis International Airport and Oakland International Airport in 1988.

In 1989, the company bought Flying Tiger Line. This helped them expand their international service. They opened a hub at Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport for these new international flights. As more international packages were sent, Federal Express created a system called Clear Electronic Customs Clearance. This helped packages get through customs faster while they were still flying.

The FedEx Name

A FedEx Express delivery truck. It shows both "FedEx" and "Federal Express" names used from 1994 to 2000.

In 1994, Federal Express changed its name to "FedEx" for marketing. People had already been calling it FedEx for years. That same year, FedEx launched fedex.com. It was the first shipping website to offer online package tracking. This let customers do business over the internet.

In 1995, the company bought air routes to start services to China. They opened an Asia and Pacific hub in Subic Bay International Airport in the Philippines. In 1997, FedEx opened a hub at Fort Worth Alliance Airport. In 1999, they opened a European hub at Charles de Gaulle Airport in France.

In 1998, FedEx joined with another company called Caliber System. They formed a bigger company called FDX Corporation. In 2000, FDX changed its name to FedEx Corporation. The original "Federal Express" cargo airline then changed its name to "FedEx Express." This helped show that it was the express shipping part of the larger FedEx company.

In 2001, FedEx Express signed a big contract. They agreed to transport all Express Mail and Priority Mail for the United States Postal Service. Before this, the Postal Service used many different airlines. This contract also allowed FedEx to put drop boxes in every U.S. post office. This contract has been extended several times and continues today. The USPS is still FedEx Express's biggest customer.

In 2006, FedEx Express bought a British delivery company called ANC Holdings Limited. This added 35 sorting places to the FedEx network. It also allowed FedEx to fly directly to UK airports from places like Newark and Memphis. In 2007, ANC became FedEx UK. FedEx Express also bought a company in Hungary to grow in Eastern Europe.

Tough Times and Growth

FedEx Express stopped using older McDonnell Douglas DC-10 (top) and Airbus A310 (bottom) planes during the Great Recession.

The Great Recession (a time of economic difficulty) in the late 2000s was hard for FedEx. Many companies stopped shipping or chose cheaper ways to send packages. FedEx Express had to reduce its flights and retire some of its older planes. These included the McDonnell Douglas DC-10 and the Airbus A310. FedEx also had to lay off some workers and reduce work hours.

In December 2008, FedEx delayed getting new Boeing 777 Freighter planes. They still got some in 2010, but fewer than planned. The rest were delivered later.

FedEx Express closed a hub for the first time in its history in 2009. This was its Asian-Pacific hub in the Philippines. The work from there was moved to Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport in China.

On June 2, 2009, FedEx opened a new hub building at Piedmont Triad International Airport in Greensboro, North Carolina. Even though the economy was bad, FedEx still opened the building on time. However, they started with fewer workers than planned. This hub had been planned for many years.

On October 27, 2010, FedEx opened its Central and Eastern European hub at Cologne Bonn Airport. This hub has a system that can sort up to 18,000 packages every hour. The roof of the hub has FedEx's largest solar power system. It makes a lot of electricity from the sun.

In December 2018, David Cunningham retired as CEO and president. Raj Subramaniam took over his role.

On November 6, 2019, FedEx Express announced it was coming back to the Philippines. They planned to expand their operations in Clark, Pampanga. In October 2020, FedEx celebrated 36 years of working in the Philippines with a new gateway in Clark. They built a large facility there, costing US$30 million, which opened in July 2021.

FedEx Express Fleet

FedEx Express Airbus A300-600RF

FedEx Express Boeing 757-200SF

FedEx Express Boeing 767-300F

FedEx Express Boeing 777F

FedEx Express McDonnell Douglas MD-11F

FedEx Feeder ATR 42-300F

FedEx Feeder ATR 72-200F

Current Aircraft

As of March 2024^[update], the FedEx Express fleet has these aircraft:

Note: "F" means freighter aircraft. "SF" means special freighter aircraft, which are passenger planes changed to carry cargo.

FedEx Express has the world's largest cargo air fleet, with over 650 aircraft. They are the biggest user of several types of planes. These include the Airbus A300, ATR 42, Cessna 208, DC-10/MD-10, and the MD-11. FedEx received the last Boeing 727 ever built in 1984. They also received the last A300/A310 ever built in 2007.

To handle changing package amounts, FedEx Express often keeps some empty planes flying at night. This helps them quickly move cargo or fix problems with grounded planes.

In 2007, FedEx planned to get 90 Boeing 757-200SFs. Since these planes were no longer made, FedEx had to buy used ones from other airlines. This was to replace their older Boeing 727 fleet. The first 757 started flying for FedEx on May 28, 2008. The last Boeing 727 was retired on June 21, 2013, after 35 years of service.

FedEx Express was supposed to be the first airline to use the Airbus A380 freighter. They ordered ten of them. But because of delays with the A380, FedEx canceled these orders. Instead, they ordered 15 Boeing 777Fs. FedEx said Airbus would let them use their payments for future planes.

On December 15, 2011, FedEx ordered 27 Boeing 767-300Fs. These planes would replace their MD-10s. The 767s were delivered between 2014 and 2018. The airline also delayed some Boeing 777F deliveries.

On July 2, 2012, FedEx ordered 15 more Boeing 767-300Fs. These would replace their MD-10 and A310-200 planes. The first Boeing 767-300F was delivered on September 4, 2013.

FedEx Express has one of the world's largest aircraft fleets. It contributes the most planes to the Civil Reserve Air Fleet in the United States. This fleet helps the military during emergencies.

The first Dassault Falcon 20C plane delivered to FedEx is on display. You can see it at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center of the National Air and Space Museum.

Past Aircraft

N631FE, the only 747 ever painted in full Federal Express colors.

FedEx Feeder

A cargo ATR 42-300 plane, used by FedEx Feeder.

A FedEx 208B Super Cargomaster.

FedEx Feeder is the name for smaller, propeller-driven planes. These planes bring packages to and from airports that bigger jet planes use.

In the United States, FedEx Express uses a "dry lease" program for FedEx Feeder. This means contractors rent planes from FedEx. They then fly routes assigned by FedEx. The contractor is in charge of the flight crew and plane maintenance. FedEx pays them a fee and covers costs for operating and maintaining the plane. Since FedEx owns the plane, it can only be used for FedEx Feeder routes.

Outside the United States, contractors sometimes use their own planes for FedEx Feeder routes. These planes might not have the FedEx Feeder colors. The contractor might also be able to carry cargo for other companies.

Companies that work with FedEx Feeder:

Helping the Environment

Delivery Trucks

An Navistar eStar all-electric van in Los Angeles in 2010.

In 2003, FedEx Express started using hybrid electric/diesel trucks. At first, they hoped to change all 30,000 of their delivery trucks to hybrids. But by 2009, only 170 were in use. FedEx said this was because other big companies weren't investing in hybrid technology. They also hoped the government would offer tax breaks to make hybrids cheaper.

FedEx stated that the hybrid truck tests in 2003 showed great results. They said the trucks reduced soot by 96% and other harmful emissions by 65%. They also claimed the trucks used over 50% less fuel.

In 2009, FedEx Express worked with Iveco to test new hybrid electric/diesel vans. Ten hybrid vans were used in Italian cities. FedEx said these vans would use 26.5% less fuel. They would also reduce carbon dioxide emissions. After the trial, FedEx would decide if they should use more of these vans.

In July 2009, FedEx Express teamed up with Freightliner and Eaton Corporation. They changed 92 delivery trucks into hybrids. This made FedEx's fleet of hybrid-electric vehicles grow to 264. These trucks were used in California.

In November 2009, FedEx Express bought 51 gasoline-electric hybrid vehicles from Azure Dynamics. These were used in The Bronx, New York City. The Bronx became FedEx's first station to use only hybrid vehicles. This brought FedEx Express's total hybrid and electric vehicles to 325.

Modernizing Aircraft

A former Boeing 727–200 at Portland, Maine in 2009.

FedEx Express, like most cargo airlines, used to have older planes. But the company has been working to replace these older planes with newer, more efficient ones.

The three-engine Boeing 727 planes were replaced in 2013. They were replaced with the two-engine Boeing 757. FedEx says the 757 uses less fuel. Some of the old Boeing 727s were given to flight schools.

Since 2013, FedEx has been buying new 767 and 777 cargo planes. The 777 planes have replaced the older MD-11s on long international flights. This allowed the MD-11s to fly shorter routes. This change also meant the old DC-10 planes could be retired in 2023. The new planes also allowed the older, smaller Airbus A310 cargo planes to be retired in 2020. As more new planes arrive until 2025, FedEx plans to retire the remaining MD-11 planes and some Airbus A300 cargo planes.

Major Incidents

Over the years, FedEx Express has had some incidents with its main fleet. This table lists some of the more significant events. It does not include incidents with smaller FedEx Feeder planes.

Northrop Grumman Guardian

A McDonnell Douglas MD-11 during a test flight. The Guardian system is seen on the plane's belly.

In 2003, FedEx Express worked with the Department of Homeland Security and Northrop Grumman. They helped develop and test an anti-missile system called the Northrop Grumman Guardian. This system is meant to protect planes from missile attacks. FedEx provided an MD-11 and a leased 747 for the tests.

FedEx Express was the first airline to use the Guardian system on a commercial flight in September 2006. They put the system on an MD-11 cargo plane. By December 2007, nine FedEx planes had the system for more testing. Because the program was successful, the U.S. Congress asked for it to be used on passenger planes too.

Sorting Facilities

See also