UPS Worldport still closed after plane crash. What to know about package delivery
As UPS has paused package sorting and other operations following the fatal crash of a cargo plane at the Muhammad Ali International Airport on Tuesday, shipping delays and rerouting of packages may occur.
At least nine people are dead in Louisville following a cargo plane crash and others injured. The involved aircraft was operated by UPS, the shipping giant with a more than 5 million square foot facility at the airport called Worldport.
The package hub is billed as the world’s largest automated packaging and cargo facilities.
Flights out of the hub connect to more than 200 countries and UPS has a history of being a critical piece in global commerce, including in the distribution of COVID-19 vaccines and other supplies during the pandemic.
More than 20,000 people are employed at the hub where shipping operations include sorting more than 400,000 packages per hour, according to UPS.
The United States Postal Service and Amazon use UPS and their own shipping services for package delivery. In its third quarter earnings call, UPS detailed more parts of its plan to reduce the number of Amazon shipments in favor of business-to-business deliveries.
While the main hub is in Louisville, UPS also operates regional package handling facilities in Atlanta, Dallas, Philadelphia, Miami and Rockford, Illinois.
Severe weather, natural disasters and other conditions out of the service’s control can delay or disrupt the business, which will be under pressure to resume as quickly as possible ahead of the holiday season, experts told the Associated Press.
UPS said in a statement it had started its contingency plan for when service is interrupted, but did not elaborate on what the plan includes.
In the past when Worldport has paused service, it has increased operations and added shifts at its other facilities. UPS has also rerouted packages to its other facilities to ensure deliveries can still be made.
In a statement, it said customers can track their packages online to remain aware of the status of various shipments.
After the crash, UPS halted package sorting operations at Worldport and on Wednesday morning, canceled its Second Day Air sorting operation and told its hub and ramp employees not to come to work.
“We are terribly saddened by the accident tonight in Louisville,” the company said in a statement Nov. 4. “Our heartfelt thoughts are with everyone involved.
“UPS is committed to the safety of our employees, our customers and the communities we serve,” the statement continued. “This is particularly true in Louisville, home to our airline and thousands of UPSers.”
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