UPS restarts Louisville air hub operations for Thursday deliveries

UPS night sort operations at its Worldport super hub in Louisville, Kentucky, resumed Wednesday evening to enable next-day air deliveries, but the express carrier is relaxing delivery commitments for Thursday to account for ongoing delays related to a runway closure as the investigation into the company’s deadly cargo jet crash ramps up.

“Our goal is to begin returning the network to a normal cadence with flights arriving at destinations on Thursday morning,” UPS spokesman Jim Mayer said in an email response to FreightWaves.

Atlanta-based UPS canceled Tuesday’s overnight express shipping operation and Wednesday’s day shift, which handles deferred freight and mail, at Worldport because of the accident.

Delivery commitment times for the Next Day Air Early and UPS Worldwide Express Plus services to the U.S. will be extended by 90 minutes, UPS announced in a customer bulletin. UPS is also extending the period for when a shipment is considered on time until the end of day on the guaranteed day of delivery for UPS Next-Day Air, 2nd Day Air A.M. and UPS Worldwide Express services to commercial and residential locations in the U.S. and all other time definite air and international air services.

The integrated parcel logistics giant also suspended its money-back guarantee for all packages shipped from or delivered to the United States until further notice.

“Contingency plans are in place to help ensure that shipments arrive at their final destinations as quickly as conditions permit,” UPS said in the bulletin.

“UPS is committed to the safety of our employees, our customers and the communities we serve. This is particularly true in Louisville, home to our airline and thousands of UPSers. Everyone in our company is deeply saddened by this horrible aircraft accident and our airline’s first duty is to recovery, aid and victim support,” the bulletin concluded.

U.S. Postal Service shipments have been disrupted by the interruption in service at UPS Worldport. UPS is the primary air cargo carrier for the USPS.

“The United States Postal Service is deeply saddened by the news of the United Parcel Service air cargo accident in Louisville. Our heartfelt thoughts go out to the employees of UPS and the community of Louisville who are impacted by this tragedy. UPS is one of our trusted logistics partners,” the Postal Service said in a statement shared with FreightWaves. “We are working closely with them to assess the duration of the impact on USPS volume carried by UPS and any anticipated delays.”

Authorities late Wednesday said three more bodies have been identified, bringing the death toll to 12 victims. All three crew members were killed. Security camera footage shows the left engine on fire as Flight 2976, a UPS MD-11 converted freighter, rolled down the runway at Louisville Mohammad Ali International Airport. The engine fell off the plane, which failed to gain sufficient altitude and slammed into an industrial area just past the airport perimeter, creating a half-mile blaze.

The National Transportation Safety Board is leading the investigation and said Wednesday it had collected the cockpit flight data and voice recorders. It will take at least a week to collect all the physical evidence necessary to draw conclusions about caused the accident.

Late Wednesday, the airport authority announced that the East runway had reopened, meaning two of the three runways are available for aircraft operations.

“We have suffered a tragic accident involving Flight 2976. We are deeply saddened and our hearts continue to be with all who have been impacted. We will keep them in our hearts as we continue our commitment to safety, care and community,” UPS CEO Carol Tomé said in a message to UPS employees that was posted on the company’s website.

“I am incredibly grateful to our team in Louisville for their grace and professionalism. We are not alone in this moment and from the notes I’ve received from around the world, I know that solidarity and empathy are powerful forces in healing. United, we are strong,” she added.

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