UPS Airlines (5X, Louisville International) has been awarded an air cargo contract by the United States Postal Service (USPS), the company announced on April 1.

The agreement is effective immediately and will see UPS take over from FedEx Express (FX, Memphis International), which announced its 20-year contract had expired after their "respective strategies shifted".

Following a transition period, UPS will become the USPS’s primary air cargo provider and move the majority of USPS air freight throughout the United States, the Louisville-based carrier said in its statement.

FedEx’s contract runs until September 2024, after which the airline will adjust its network to drive efficiencies and create more flexibility, it said. Reuters reported that USPS represents about 4% of FedEx’s annual revenue, or about USD2 billion.

The ch-aviation fleets module shows that UPS Airlines' fleet comprises 298 aircraft, including fifty-two A300-600Fs, thirteen B747-400(F)s, thirty B747-8Fs, seventy-five B757-200PFs, eighty-eight B767-300Fs, and forty MD-11Fs. The latter aircraft type is set to be phased out, ch-aviation reported last year.