Aviation Specials – May 2018

but Memphis has an extensive vehicle

handling facility as some consignments

arrive from the surrounding region by

road and are unloaded, screened, and

transferred into ‘the sort’ for onward

transport on departing flights.

Inside the buildings large items are

handled individually, while the automated

small package sorting system processes

le ers and allocates them to bags for

onward shipment at the rate of 320,000

per hour. Around 80 miles (130km)

of conveyors keep the consignments

moving, while a sophisticated computer

system uses rams to push items into bays

where they can be loaded into containers

for their next fl ights.

The aprons at the World Hub have

space to park 165 aircraft. Each night’s

shift involves around 150 departures

and arrivals, while the day operation has

90 landings and take offs. More than

130 lorries also come and go during the

dark hours. The nocturnal operation

typically handles 1.3m shipments, while

a day sort moves between 500,000 to

600,000 packages. The entire facility is

capable of handling up to 475,000 items

per hour. Most arrive and depart within

three-hour windows, which makes

Memphis the busiest airport in the

world between 2200hrs and 0400hrs

local time every weekday. The airline’s

375-strong aircraft fleet includes Boeing

777s, McDonnell Douglas MD-11s and

MD-10s, Airbus A300-600s, Boeing 767-

300s and Boeing 757-200s [as of March

2018]. More than 280 smaller aircraft

such as ATR 42s, ATR 72s and Cessna

208B Caravans are also flown for the

company by local contractors. FedEx

flies to every continent except Africa.

One night in Memphis

As the sun sets over Arkansas, the sky

becomes eerily quiet. The last few private

fl iers have gone home, the corporate jets

have whisked their well-heeled clients to

centres of commerce across the country,

and the passenger airlines are winding

down for the night. For a short while

at least, the stars have the heavens to

themselves as the rhythm of the Blues

drifts over from Beale Street. Then at

around 2200 the fi rst twinkling manmade

jewel appears, miles away and seemingly

suspended in space. It is soon joined by

MEMPHIS WORLD RANKING

Year PlaceTonnesPassengers

2017 2nd 4,307,050* 4,169,259

2016 2nd 4,291,386 4,001,017

2015 2nd 4,290,638 3,584,163

2014 2nd 4,258,530 3,915,174

2013 2nd 4,137,801 4,598,186

2012 2nd 3,916,535 6,753,186

2011 2nd 3,916,535 8,737,641

2010 2nd 3,916,937 10,003,186

2009 1st 3,697,054 10,229,627

2008 1st 3,695,438 10,532,095

2007 1st 3,840,941 10,896,305

2006 1st 3,692,081 10,806,754

2005 1st 3,598,500 11,039,077

*Provisional

MEMPHIS

Extreme Airports // 39

ABOVE: The calm

between two

storms: a Boeing

757 awaits another

load while the night

sort takes place.

BELOW: Aircra

queue for

departure.

34-41_Memphis.indd 39 11/05/2018 12:45