After the Holidays airlift in December 2022, FedEx retired the MD-10-30F from its operations. The following final eight MD-10-30Fs were withdrawn from service:
N306FE (48287), retired 31 December 2022
N307FE (48291), retired 30 December 2022
N311FE (46871), retired 31 December 2022
N313FE (48311), retired 29 December 2022
N316FE (48314), retired 31 December 2022
N318FE (46837), retired 30 December 2022
N319FE (47820), retired 30 December 2022
N321FE (47836), retired 29 December 2022
On 31 December 2022, N311FE was the last of the classic trijets to operate her final flight as FDX168 into Memphis (TN) out of Monterrey, making it the final operational flight for the type. Earlier that day N306FE arrived from Toronto as FDX147, and N316FE as FDX154 out of Toluca, also into Memphis.
Overall FedEx operated 112 DC-10-freighters in three versions; 25 DC-10-10s, 6 DC-10-30s, and 81 MD-10s. This latter version is the designation of the modernised DC-10-10/30 where Boeing installed a new glass cockpit and improved avionics between 1999 and 2010. This upgrade allowed another 10 to 13 years of service throughout Northern America. The need for a Flight Engineer was also dropped after the conversion as the MD-10 came quite close to the MD-11F. Among the MD-10 fleet some frames found new owners; N301FE (46800) joined Project Orbis (the flying eye hospital) in 2010 as N330AU, and N314FE (48312) joined Bolivian airline TAB Cargo in 2013 as CP-2791. Two frames got involved in accidents. The first one was N364FE (46600) on 18 December 2003 after a hard landing at Memphis (TN) causing a landing gear collapse and ending up in flames. The second was N370FE (46608) in a similar style event on 28 October 2016 at Fort Lauderdale (FL).
MD-10 N311FE was ferried from Memphis (TN) to Victorville (CA) on 11 January 2023 as her final resting place, following sisterships N316FE, which flew in on 9 January 2023 from Memphis (TN), and N319FE from Indianapolis (ID). Most frames are expected to meet the axeman at Victorville as there is not much demand nowadays for the old ladies. Their cargo volumes are replaced by new build B767-300F freighters, transporting similar loads at much better fuel consumption and with smaller noise footprints.
Photo: Duncan Stewart - LAX
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