The FedEx MD-11 aircraft that slammed into the runway and burst into flames Monday morning while landing at Tokyo's Narita International Airport during windy conditions has raised the issue of the aircraft's overly sensitive flight-control systems and reputation for being difficult to control during rough landings. Airline-related blogs have been full of discussions of the hard-landing that ultimately culminated in the total loss of the aircraft and death of both pilots. Shocking video footage … [Read more...] about MD-11 crash raises history of problems
FedEx
Narita airport reopens main runway
Tokyo's Narita international airport reopened its main runway Tuesday, freeing up desperately needed capacity at Japan's busiest international airport a day after a FedEx cargo plane crashed in a ball of fire, killing two US pilots. Workers overnight cleared the charred wreckage of the MD-11 from the crash site near the 4,000-metre Runway A, which usually handles more than 350 flights a day. The runway, the longer of two at Narita International Airport was reopened shortly after 9 am (0010 GMT) … [Read more...] about Narita airport reopens main runway
FedEx MD-11 crashes while landing at Narita
A FedEx cargo aircraft en route from China has crashed this morning while attempting to land at Tokyo’s Narita airport in strong winds, bursting into flames and killing two pilots on board. The FedEx MD-11 was coming from Guangzhou, China, and crashed at 6:49 AM local time, according to the Japanese transport ministry. Television footage showed the three-engine wide-body aircraft tip sideways shortly after touch-down in strong winds and then, as one of its wings clipped the ground at … [Read more...] about FedEx MD-11 crashes while landing at Narita
FedEx says global recession bottomed out
"We have probably hit the bottom," said industry stalwart Fred Smith, chairman, president and CEO of FedEx Corporation while announcing the global express company's latest quarterly earnings last week. FedEx's overall group revenue for the quarter ended 28 February was down 14 per cent year-on-year to US$8.14 billion while operating income fell 72 per cent to US$182 million, whilst net income also fell by nearly 72 per cent to US$97 million. … [Read more...] about FedEx says global recession bottomed out
FedEx opens Guangzhou hub, closes Subic
FedEx Express began operating out of its new Asia Pacific hub at the Baiyun International Airport in Guangzhou, China on 6 February signalling the end of its Subic Bay hub in the Philippines which the express giant has called home for the last 14 years. … [Read more...] about FedEx opens Guangzhou hub, closes Subic
15 more B777 freighters for FedEx
Federal Express announced on Monday that its FedEx Express unit exercised options from a 2006 purchase agreement, to buy 15 more Boeing 777 freighters, worth US$3.75 billion at list prices, Although the move clearly bucks the current economic trouble, the express carrier did defer delivery of some of the planes with four B777s slated for delivery in FedEx's fiscal 2010, four in fiscal 2011, three in each subsequent fiscal year until fiscal 2018, and the remaining one in fiscal 2019. The express … [Read more...] about 15 more B777 freighters for FedEx