FedEx launches capital plan
Having a regional express hub just 20 miles outside the nation’s capital wasn’t quite close enough for FedEx Express.
With postal business now in the mix and a new plane in the fleet, FedEx launched 757 freighter operations into Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport this month. The flight gives the tightly packed airport, located just across the Potomac River from downtown Washington, a rare entry into the all-cargo arena, and it gives the carrier the sort of quick reach to business and government offices that makes DCA a bustling passenger site.
The eight-times-weekly flight will operate just a one-hour truck haul from Washington Dulles International Airport, where FedEx has a full-service sort center and has operated narrowbody and widebody flights for several years at facilities next door to UPS and DHL.
The service also marks the “introduction of the 757 freighter to our fleet,” said David J. Bronczek, chief executive officer of FedEx Express. The company expects to introduce 12 757s into revenue service over the next year.
As the replacement for the 727, the 757 offers fuel savings of up to 36 percent over the older three-engine 727, while providing far more capacity per flight. The 757 also is significantly quieter than the 727.
Having a regional express hub just 20 miles outside the nation’s capital wasn’t quite close enough for FedEx Express.
With postal business now in the mix and a new plane in the fleet, FedEx launched 757 freighter operations into Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport this month. The flight gives the tightly packed airport, located just across the Potomac River from downtown Washington, a rare entry into the all-cargo arena, and it gives the carrier the sort of quick reach to business and government offices that makes DCA a bustling passenger site.
The eight-times-weekly flight will operate just a one-hour truck haul from Washington Dulles International Airport, where FedEx has a full-service sort center and has operated narrowbody and widebody flights for several years at facilities next door to UPS and DHL.
FedEx spokesman Maury Lane said Express Mail from the U.S. Postal Service was a key part of the traffic for the DCA operation and would be sorted at the company’s center in Southeast Washington. The airport is significantly closer to Washington and the flight will cut ground transportation times to the city and the close-in suburban business districts significantly, Lane said.
The service also marks the “introduction of the 757 freighter to our fleet,” said David J. Bronczek, chief executive officer of FedEx Express. The company expects to introduce 12 757s into revenue service over the next year.
As the replacement for the 727, the 757 offers fuel savings of up to 36 percent over the older three-engine 727, while providing far more capacity per flight. The 757 also is significantly quieter than the 727.
