UPS has grounded its fleet of McDonnell Douglas MD-11's, the type of plane involved in deadly crash in Louisville.
According to NBC News, the company on Friday, November 7, confirmed that it will temporarily grounding its MD-11 fleet "out of an abundance of caution and in the interest of safety."
As per the US cargo plane giant MD-11s make up 9% of the company's air fleet.
UPS spokesman Jim Mayer said, “We made this decision proactively at the recommendation of the aircraft manufacturer. Nothing is more important to us than the safety of our employees and the communities we serve.”
A photo seen by NBC News showed a screen in a plane that directed pilots to return and which read: “Per UPS MD11 are not to depart effective immediately."
FedEx said early Saturday that it was also grounding its MD-11s. The UPS rival has 28 such planes in operation, out of a fleet of around 700, FedEx said.
At least 14 people have died in the crash, officials said. The UPS flight, headed from Louisville to Honolulu, crashed around 5:15 p.m. as it was taking off and struck an industrial area near the airport, causing a huge fire and killing the three crew in the plane and others on the ground.
