From wikipedia, Boeing stopped producing MD-11 since 2,000. Does that mean any MD-11 flying is at least 25 years old? I know 25-year is not particularly old for aircrafts, but MD-11 is not exactly reliable. Is there any reason UPS is flying these planes?

▲

geoffeg 19 hours ago | parent [-]

Airframes have a limited lifetime, partially defined by takeoffs and landings (and pressurization cycles). Cargo planes experience fewer cycles than passenger airlines since cargo carriers' aircraft usually only make a one or two flights a day, whereas passenger aircraft a flown back to back as frequently as possible. Historically, cargo carriers would buy used aircraft and convert them, but that's changing.

	▲	pacoWebConsult 17 hours ago \| parent \| next [-]
		This particular aircraft was acquired by UPS in 2006 and converted for cargo missions. It was originally delivered as a passenger aircraft to Thai Airways International in 1991. [1] I actually saw this exact aircraft at RDU International in August of this year and took a photo, since tri-engine aircraft in general are not very common these days. [1]: https://www.flightradar24.com/blog/flight-tracking-news/majo...
	▲	fransje26 17 hours ago \| parent \| prev \| next [-]
		The gist is correct, but the subtleties are hiding in the details. Wide-body (long-haul) airplanes are generally limited by flying hours since they rarely reach their maximum allowed flight cycles. In contrast, wide-body cargo planes typically fly shorter legs compared to when they are used as passenger carriers. And as a result, they are much more likely to hit their critical cycle limit.
	▲	ferguess_k 19 hours ago \| parent \| prev [-]
		Thanks for the explanation. I'll see if I can find some data on cargo planes.