List of McDonnell Douglas MD-11 operators
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This list of McDonnell Douglas MD-11 operators lists current and former operators, in transport of cargo and passengers.[1][2][note 1] However, as of November 2025, both remaining operators have grounded their fleet due to the crash of Flight 2976.[3]
| Airline | Country | Photos | MD-11 | MD-11C | MD-11CF | MD-11ER | MD-11Fa | In service | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FedEx Express | 74 | 28 (grounded) |
Most aircraft were acquired from American, China Airlines, Delta, and Swiss. Mix of GE and PW engines. World's largest MD-11 operator. To be retired in 2032. Set to return to service by May 31st[4] | ||||||
| Western Global Airlines | 17 | 3? (grounded) |
GE engines only. |
Former
| Airline | Country | Photos | MD-11 | MD-11C | MD-11CF | MD-11ER | MD-11Fa | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aer Lingus | 1 | Leased from World Airways. | ||||||
| Aeroflot-Cargo | 3 | Merged back into Aeroflot in 2010. | ||||||
| Air Canada | 1 | Operated by World Airways. | ||||||
| Air Namibia | 2 | |||||||
| AirAsia | 1 | Leased from World Airways. | ||||||
| Alitalia | 3 | 5 | MD-11Cs were later converted to freighters. | |||||
| American Airlines | 19 | Replaced with the Boeing 777. | ||||||
| AV Cargo Airlines | 3 | Successor to Avient Aviation.[5] | ||||||
| Avianca | 1 | Leased from World Airways. | ||||||
| Avient Aviation | 2 | One written off as Flight 324. Ceased operations in 2013. | ||||||
| Cargoitalia | 3 | Ceased operations in 2011. | ||||||
| Centurion Air Cargo | 5 | Ceased operations in 2018. | ||||||
| China Airlines | 5 | |||||||
| China Cargo Airlines | 9 | |||||||
| China Eastern Airlines | 6 | All were later converted to freighters. | ||||||
| Cielos Airlines | 1 | Leased from Gemini Air Cargo. | ||||||
| CityBird | 6 | Ceased operations in 2001. | ||||||
| Delta Air Lines | 17 | Replaced with the Boeing 777. | ||||||
| El Al | 2 | Leased from World Airways. | ||||||
| Ethiopian Airlines | 1 | 2 | Passenger variant leased from World Airways. | |||||
| Etihad Airways | 2 | Operated by World Airways.[6] | ||||||
| EVA Air | 3 | 9 | All later converted to freighters.[7][8] | |||||
| Finnair | 5 | 2 | Launch customer. Freighters converted from their own MD-11s. | |||||
| Garuda Indonesia | 11 | 2 | 5 | Several leased from World Airways. | ||||
| Gemini Air Cargo | 4 | Ceased operations in 2008. | ||||||
| Ghana Airways | 1 | Leased from World Airways. | ||||||
| Global Africa Aviation | 3 | Ceased operations in 2019. | ||||||
| Japan Airlines | 10 | All sold to UPS Airlines. | ||||||
| KLM | 10 | Last scheduled MD-11 passenger operation carried out on October 25, 2014.[9] | ||||||
| Korean Air | 5 | All later converted to freighter. One later crashed as Flight 6316. | ||||||
| LTU International | 4 | All sold to Swissair. | ||||||
| Lufthansa Cargo | 17 | Last major airline to order MD-11s. Received the very last MD-11 produced.[8] | ||||||
| Malaysia Airlines | 3 | Leased from World Airways. | ||||||
| Mandarin Airlines | 5 | |||||||
| Martinair | 4 | 2 | ||||||
| MASkargo | 2 | 1 | Leased from World Airways. | |||||
| Monarch Airlines | 1 | 1 | Leased from World Airways. | |||||
| Nordic Global Airlines | 4 | Ceased operations in 2015. | ||||||
| Philippine Airlines | 2 | 2 | Leased from World Airways. | |||||
| Sabena | 2 | Leased from CityBird. | ||||||
| Saudia | 2 | 4 | Two MD-11s were in VIP configuration.[8] | |||||
| Shanghai Airlines Cargo | 4 | Integrated into China Cargo Airlines in 2011. | ||||||
| SkyLease Cargo | 2 | 7 | ||||||
| SonAir | 1 | Leased from World Airways. | ||||||
| STAF | 1 | Leased from World Airways. | ||||||
| Star Europe | 1 | Operated by CityBird. | ||||||
| Swiss International Air Lines | 16 | |||||||
| Swissair | 22 | One written off as Swissair Flight 111. Ceased operation in 2002 Transferred to Swiss International Air Lines. | ||||||
| Swissair Asia | 2 | Ceased operations in 2001 all aircraft transferred back to Swissair. | ||||||
| TAM Linhas Aéreas | 2 | 1 | ||||||
| Thai Airways International | 4 | All sold to UPS Airlines. | ||||||
| Transmile Air Services | 4 | All sold to FedEx Express. | ||||||
| UPS Airlines | 43 | All were acquired from Varig, VASP, JAL, Thai, Swissair, Delta, and Lufthansa Cargo.
Mix of GE and PW engines. Retired after UPS Airlines Flight 2976.[10] Aircraft are scattered about North America, with aircraft being "Abandoned" by crews where they were after UPS grounded all MD-11s. | ||||||
| USAfrica Airways | 2 | Leased from American Airlines. | ||||||
| Varig | 23 | 3 | Largest MD-11 passenger operator. | |||||
| Varig Logística | 2 | |||||||
| VASP | 9 | 1 | ||||||
| World Airways | 9 | 2 | 9 | Ceased operations in 2014.[11] |
a.^ Includes the converted MD-11BCF variants.