Louisville plane crash: What is Worldport, major UPS shipping hub?
At least nine people are dead and more injured following the takeoff crash of a cargo plane out of Louisville’s Muhammad Ali International Airport late Tuesday afternoon.
UPS Flight 2976 crashed shortly after takeoff, bursting into flames. The plane was departing for Honolulu, Hawaii, with a crew of three, UPS confirmed in a statement.
At least two businesses in the immediate area were affected, Kentucky Petroleum Recycling Plant and Grade A Auto Parts.
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With the discovery of two additional dead announced Wednesday morning as officials resumed search and rescue efforts, Gov. Andy Beshear posted on social media the death toll could continue to rise.
“Right now these families need prayers, love and support,” Beshear said in a post on X. “Let’s wrap our arms around them during this unimaginable time.”
With rescue operations continuing, the airport reopened Wednesday morning, with partial taxiway closures. At UPS’ Worldport, Hub and Ramp employees on Second Day Air were told not to report to work Wednesday at 8:45 a.m.
Emergency crews are actively working the area of the site crash Wednesday morning, and National Transportation Safety Board investigators have arrived in Louisville to lead the investigation into the cause.
What do we know about UPS operations in Louisville?
Shipping giant UPS is the largest economic partner to Louisville’s airport, with a 5.2-million-square-foot shipping facility on site: Worldport — billed as the world’s biggest automated packaging facility in a September economic development report from the airport.
The area is roughly the size of 90 football fields, and approximately 2 million packages are processed on a normal day there. During peak holiday season, that figure rises, making Worldport one of the busiest cargo facilities in the world. 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.
The presence of the hub is a major draw for businesses looking to be close to the logistics and distribution services offered at Worldport. The Kentucky Cabinet for Economic Development and Louisville Metro Government estimate some 200 companies have relocated or expanded operations in the area because of Worldport, bringing more than 13,000 jobs and a $300 million annual payroll.
Worldport contributes $300 million in state and local taxes annually, a figure that amounts to more than 2% of all taxes collected in Kentucky. The airport, city and UPS estimate activity at the airport, driven largely by the hub, has an almost $13 billion economic impact on the regional economy.
UPS halted operations at Worldport Tuesday night in the wake of the crash.
The city is also home to the headquarters of UPS’ Air Operations, with a main hub there and others in Philadelphia, Dallas, Ontario and Rockford, Illinois.
More than 20,000 people are employed at the hub, according to UPS figures. The shipping company is one of the city’s largest employers, Louisville Business First reports. Annual payroll at Worldport exceeds $2 billion and since 2000, UPS has put more than $3 billion in construction and expansion projects at the airport for its operations, according to the Kentucky Cabinet for Economic Development.
Worldport sees more than 360 in and outbound flights daily, and UPS has a global fleet of more than 500 planes. The aircraft involved in Tuesday evening’s crash was an MD-11, with a maximum payload of more than 200,000 pounds.
UPS first expanded into Louisville in ‘80s, opening the Worldport hub in 2002. The hub is on site at the airport, south of downtown Louisville.
Shipping operations at Worldport include sorting more than 400,000 packages per hour, UPS reports.
This is a developing report.
This story was originally published November 4, 2025 at 11:05 PM.
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