UPS facility surpasses FedEx as world’s largest express air cargo hub

Dhaka: United Parcel Service’s Worldport hub at Louisville International Airport has overtaken FedEx’s Memphis hub as the world’s largest express air cargo facility, according to a report by researchers at DePaul University published on Thursday.

The report, which analyzed flight data from Flightradar24 and aircraft size, found Louisville was leading in daily flight activity, tonnage, and volume capacity between January 17 and February 19. The hub handles an average of 202 flights per day, 37 more than Memphis during peak midweek periods.

UPS’s Louisville facility now boasts 25.4% more tonnage capacity and 25.0% more volume capacity than FedEx’s Memphis hub on peak days. Researchers attributed the shift to FedEx’s Network 2.0 campaign, which reduced excess capacity by merging Express and Ground networks and relying more on regional trucking and point-to-point flights.

Flight reductions at FedEx, particularly during afternoon hours, also contributed to Louisville’s rise. Additionally, FedEx lost a major domestic air cargo contract with the U.S. Postal Service in September 2024, impacting flight volumes.

The study also highlights the rapid growth of Chinese hubs, led by SF Airlines’ new facility at Ezhou Huahu Airport in Hubei province. SF Airlines, part of parcel courier SF Express, is China’s largest cargo airline by fleet size.

In terms of weekly cumulative activity, Louisville now ranks ahead of Memphis, followed by FedEx’s European hub in Liege, DHL’s Leipzig hub in Germany, Ezhou Airport, and FedEx’s Paris hub. Airports Council International ranked Memphis as the third largest cargo hub by tonnage in July 2025, with Louisville fifth, reflecting broader measures that include passenger, freighter, and express cargo.

FedEx has filed a site plan for a major expansion of its small parcel sortation facility at Memphis airport, signaling continued growth in e-commerce volumes and a need for additional flights in the future.

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