Aviation Specials – May 2018

proposed removing restrictions on the

routes over which cargo airlines could fl y

large aircraft. Liberalisation occurred the

following year, enabling Smith to acquire

new aircraft including seven Boeing 727-

100s and four 737-200s. Later he added

the fi rst widebodies, McDonnell Douglas

DC-10s. The business was fl oated on the

New York Stock Exchange in 1978 and by

1980 the network had grown to include a

further 90 airports. More changes came

in 1981 when the company was permi ed

to off er overnight document delivery

services – until then the exclusive domain of

the US Postal Service. At the same time, it

opened the ‘World Hub’ (also referred to as

the Super Hub) at Memphis International

Airport and started its fi rst international

services, to Canada.

Sales burgeoned to $1bn by 1983, and the

popularity of the small packet service put

Federal Express ahead of the other US-

based courier delivery fi rms.

World leader

FedEx Express – the name used by the

airline part of the business – is now the

world’s largest air cargo carrier. Every

day its 400,000 employees move more

than 14m shipments – around 3m of which

are US domestic air packages – weighing

in excess of 11,000,000lb (5,000,000kg).

The traffi c passes through 375 airports

and 11 hubs in 220 countries, on a fl eet

of more than 650 aircraft and 90,000

vehicles. Last year FedEx handled more

than 1.2bn shipments and its turnover was

greater than $60bn, more than a half of

which came from FedEx Express (the rest

came from FedEx Ground, FedEx Freight

and FedEx Services).

The World Hub now covers 880

acres (356ha) on the north side of the

Memphis airport and employs more

10,000 people. One in five people’s jobs

in the area are said to depend on the

company to some degree. Researchers

estimate that FedEx generates $14.1bn in

local economic activity including $3.5bn

in wages, $740m in state and local

taxes and $9.5bn in cargo revenue. In

addition to supporting flight operations

its property portfolio includes hangars

and a pilot training centre with a suite of

simulators, while nearby it maintains the

FedEx World Technology Center. Most

shipments arrive and depart on flights,

MEMPHIS

38 // Extreme Airports

TOP FedEx has

its own ramp

tower, from where

the movement

of aircra and

equipment on the

ground is managed.

ABOVE: A Boeing

757-200F departs

on a domestic hop

• FedEx Express
  operates more
  than 100 of the
  narrowbodied
  twin jets.
  TOP RIGHT:
  Boeing 777Fs are
  gradually replacing
  MD-11Fs on high-
  density routes.
  ABOVE RIGHT:
  Purple, orange and
  white tails abound.

34-41_Memphis.indd 38 11/05/2018 12:45