Warbird Information Exchange

FED EX has signed on for 19 more 767-300F freighters extending the basic 767 into 2019. They will use them to replace DC-10's and the despised A-310-200F

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Don't make me go get my flying monkeys-

Boeing 767-DGA, Dang Good Airplane

Good on FedEx for finally deciding to be rid of the redheaded-stepchildren of the fleet. (And that is a very accurate description of them from my 2 years fueling them. Had more problems pissing fuel than any other bird on the airport, including the MD-80's, and at least once a week one broke and had to stay a couple days...then again, most of them came from less-than-spectacular previous owners too).

Now we just have to convince UPS that their "preferred landing slots" aren't worth the hassle their A300-600F's are causing them or at least convince them to bring their '67's home and put those things over in Europe where they belong.

The true reasons for FED EX and UPS buying the damned things was if they didn't, the Fwench would have both of them banned from European skies by having 'issues' with each flight each way (they very effectively stopped UPS R/R TAY converted 727's), while Documents Hopelessly Lost operated a bunch of 757/767 box haulers into and out of Festung Europa and no one said a word to CARGOLUX or AIR FWANCE and their 747F's. EADS had to find the tooling and restart the 310 line to meet the contract numbers agreed to.
Basically, it was the castle scene from Monty Pytons "Holy Grail" with guess who on top of the parapets.

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Don't make me go get my flying monkeys-

First, it was the A300 line they restarted for FedEx and then continued for UPS, not the A310.

Second, as I said, had UPS and FedEx not bought the Airbus products, France wasn't going to give them the landing slots they needed and allow access to certain markets they wanted to expand into. Thing that the guys at UPS didn't understand is why the company not only bought the A300's, but bought 94 of them when they only needed 24 to fill the planned European routes and then put all 94 aircraft in the US domestic schedule instead of bringing home the 767's that were being used in Europe. At least FedEx didn't have anything of that size (techincally since the DC-10's can carry a bit more) and they spread their A300's across the system. No one I ever talked to was quite sure why the A310's were purchased by FedEx except that their original plan for buying some 757's fell through and the A310 was about the only other option and at least had some commonality with the A300-600RF's they bought and pilots get a common type rating.

At the time, FED EX was doing a land office business in buying retired 727-200's around the world to keep from having to put out millions for brand new 757-200PF's. They could buy a group of old 27's at less than dirt cheap, and install their own engineered MCD and drive them until the cost of a 'D' check woudn't be made back in revenue before the next big checks were due, then strip the airframe of rotables and 'donate' the airframe to a local A&P school or the airport fire dept as a training aide (they dumped at least 5 on Everett Community College and the airport @ KPAE, the school has one with removed outer wings and the airports is used for county emergency rescue training every year, the -100's were cut up and sent to the can factory. Very clever, spend realitively few dollars on converting an airplane, make a bunch of money hauling trash, remove, turn and sell the rotables, and take a tax writeoff for the donation.
I find it mildly humorous that FED EX is operating retired 757 pax to freighter conversions done by Boeing in Wichita, and after resisting for so long UPS is/was operating DC-10's.
A brand new 767-300PF makes back its purchase price within 180 days of delivery from Boeing in rev generation.

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Don't make me go get my flying monkeys-