Western Global Airlines has initiated indefinite furloughs across its MD-11 operation as carriers confront a prolonged grounding of the tri-jet freighter fleet. The airline said inspections required under an FAA airworthiness directive, issued after the fatal crash of a UPS MD-11 earlier this month, are expected to take far longer than initially anticipated. UPS and FedEx each had more than two dozen MD-11s in service at the time of the accident, but the grounding represents a larger share of Western Global’s smaller fleet, which includes six active MD-11s and three Boeing 747-400 freighters.
In an internal letter shared on social media, Western Global Vice President of Human Resources Tom Romnios said Boeing initially expected to finalize a noninvasive inspection protocol by mid-November.
“However, Boeing has now advised that more and highly invasive inspections, as well as repairs and parts replacements would be required, resulting in an extended grounding of the MD-11 fleet for an undeterminable period of time,” he wrote.
The directive followed the Nov. 4 crash of UPS Flight 2976, in which investigators said the left engine separated during takeoff from Louisville International Airport. Fourteen people were killed, and the National Transportation Safety Board later reported finding fatigue cracks inside a major structural component that attached the engine to the wing.
Western Global said the extended downtime left the company with “no choice” but to reduce staffing levels in order to preserve operations until the MD-11s return to service.
The Air Line Pilots Association lists 147 pilots at the carrier, which previously reorganized after bankruptcy two years ago. Meanwhile, UPS and FedEx have implemented contingency measures to offset lost widebody capacity, including consolidating flights, deferring some scheduled maintenance and contracting additional lift. Cargojet is operating Boeing 757-200 freighters for UPS, while Amerijet is flying at least one Boeing 767 on domestic routes, according to FreightWaves.
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