UPS Airlines

UPS Airlines is the cargo airline of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE: UPS), based in Louisville, Kentucky. It was created in 1988 after UPS obtained approval from the US Federal Aviation Administration to operate its own aircraft. As an integrator, UPS Airlines primarily carries shipments moving inside the group's own network; spare capacity is sold to third parties through the airport-to-airport product UPS Air Cargo. The company does not market belly capacity. As of 31 March 2026 the company reported an own fleet of 272 freighters: 102 Boeing 767-300F, 75 Boeing 757-200F, 52 Airbus A300-600F, 30 Boeing 747-8F and 13 Boeing 747-400F. A further 218 short-term leased or chartered aircraft brought the total to 490. The MD-11 fleet has been retired. As of 31 December 2025 UPS reported 20,854 air operations employees and 1,094 domestic plus 875 international flight segments per day. The main hub is Louisville (SDF) with Worldport. Further hubs in the United States are Philadelphia, Dallas, Ontario in California and Rockford in Illinois, plus Miami for Latin America and the Caribbean, Hamilton in Ontario for Canada, Cologne/Bonn for Europe and Hong Kong, Shanghai and Shenzhen for Asia and the Pacific. The codes are IATA 5X, ICAO UPS and AWB prefix 406. For forwarders the relevant product is UPS Air Cargo, which according to the carrier serves more than 90 US and more than 120 international airports and comprises the Priority service with an arrival guarantee and Reserved. Dangerous goods move by contract only and on approved routes. Under the Service Terms live animals, perishables, pharmaceuticals and valuable cargo are excluded without prior written arrangement; declared value is capped at USD 25,000 per shipment for pharmaceuticals and perishables and at USD 50,000 for other commodities.