Out with the old and in with the new: FedEx retires Boeing 727 and adds 1,900 new vehicles to its flight

After declaring the end of a chapter in aviation history last Friday when it announced the retirement of its long-serving Boeing 727 aircraft, US logistics giant FedEx revealed the addition of 1,900 new fuel-efficient vehicles to its fleet this afternoon.

The retired B727 (C/O Eric Prado)

The 1,900 new additions to the fleet are lightweight, composite-body Reach vehicles, the engines and lower-weight bodies of which achieve a reduction in exhaust emissions compared to conventional walk-in vans. The new vehicles are 35% more fuel efficient than traditional vehicles in the FedEx Express fleet and will help the company realise efficiency savings at the same time as working towards its green target of reducing carbon emissions by 20% by 2020.