UPS Airlines is a worldwide cargo airline owned by United Parcel Service Inc. (NYSE: UPS). The company is headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky. Its home airport is located at Louisville International Airport.
[edit] Destinations
UPS Airlines flies to more than 200 countries.
UPS Airlines has a fleet size of 263 aircraft,[1] making it the 9th largest airline in the world:
UPS Airlines had ordered ten Airbus A380 freighters and had options on ten more. As part of the deal, the airline reduced an existing commitment for ninety Airbus A300 freighters to fifty three. But, in March 2007, UPS canceled their A380F orders. UPS has yet to announce a replacement order in place of the A380Fs. It has been rumored that UPS will order Boeing's 777F. UPS has also ordered eight Boeing 747-400 freighters to increase capacity on its major "trunk" routes to Europe, Asia, and North America. These are expected to be delivered in June 2007 and go on through 2008.[2] UPS Airlines placed a firm order for 27 additional Boeing 767-300 Freighters in February 2007 to be delivered 2009 to 2012.[3] Most UPS Airlines flights go through the UPS Worldport at Louisville International Airport.
[edit] Use of Continuous Descent Approach (CDA) to save fuel
UPS Airlines is experimenting with a Global Positioning System based landing procedure,called Continuous-Descent Approach at the Worldport, replacing the traditional holding pattern and step-wise descent. CDA is used to reduce the time and fuel needed to approach a runway and land by eliminating the need to alternatively reduce and increase throttle to descend and level off. UPS Airlines estimates that this procedure saves an average of 250 to 465 lbs (110-210 kilograms) of fuel per flight. CDA is part of the Federal Aviation Administration's long-term "Next-Gen" air traffic control plan.[4]
[edit] Major incidents and accidents
- On September 11, 1998, Flight 744, N316UP, a Boeing 767-300 suffered substantial damage after running off the runway at Ellington Field from Louisville International Airport. The airport was experiencing a tropical storm at the time of the landing, the aircraft was unable to stop on a wet runway with a strong tailwind. After running off the runway, the aircraft's right landing gear broke off and the right engine separated from the wing. The aircraft was put back into service after major repairs.[5]
- On June 7, 2005, Flight 6971, N250UP, a McDonnell Douglas MD-11 suffered substantial damage after a landing gear collapse at Louisville International Airport from Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport. The crew accidentally lowered the nose of the aircraft too fast, putting too much pressure on the front landing gear. The aircraft was put back into service after a $10 million repair.[6]
- On February 8, 2006, Flight 1307, N748UP, a Douglas DC-8 was destroyed by fire at Philadelphia International Airport from Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. Just before landing the crew reported a smoke detector was going off in the cargo hold. After landing, the cargo hold of the aircraft caught on fire, the source of the fire was never found.[7]
[edit] See also
[edit] References
[edit] External links
| Members of the International Air Transport Association | | | | | | Asia-Pacific regional office | | | | | | | China and North Asia regional office | | | | | | | | | | Latin America and the Caribbean regional office | | | | | | | Middle East and North Africa regional office | | | | | | | North America regional office | | | | | | | Russia and the CIS regional office | | | | | |
