London , 17 April, 2008 – FedEx Express, the world’s largest express transportation company and a subsidiary of FedEx Corp. (NYSE: FDX), is celebrating 35 years of service in the air cargo industry on 17 April 2008. In 1973, founder Fred Smith launched FedEx from an abandoned military hangar at Memphis International Airport . Since then, FedEx has risen to become a global company facilitating trade across nations and continents. FedEx has experienced many milestones along the way, including being the first express delivery company to introduce overnight shipments and to have its own fleet of aircraft.
On 17 April 1973, 14 FedEx Falcon airplanes took off carrying just 186 packages. Today FedEx Express employs approximately 141,000 employees and handles an average daily volume of more than 7.5 million shipments, with 671 aircraft and more than 44,500 vehicles servicing 220 countries in its integrated global network.
Operating in 123 countries and territories in Europe, the Middle East, the Indian Sub-Continent and Africa , FedEx has consistently been recognised by Fortune as one of the World’s Most Admired Companies, ranking sixth in 2008. The company has also been repeatedly named as a Great Place to Work and trusted employer throughout Europe and ranked in the top 50 companies in the UK .
“We’ve been working hard to make every customer touch-point a point of differentiation, whether it’s on our Web site, on the telephone, or during the pickup and delivery experience,” Smith said during a recent meeting of investors and lenders. For years, Smith has championed the drive to make every FedEx experience outstanding.
Over the years, FedEx has handled and delivered a wide range of unique and unusual shipments such as white tigers, classic Ferraris, racing cars, artwork and Easter eggs, always honoring its pledge to satisfy customer needs no matter what it takes. For example, in 2002 FedEx shipped a female hippo from Basel Zoo, Switzerland , to Dublin Zoo, Ireland . The hippo was flown from Basel , Switzerland direct to Dublin . On arrival at Dublin airport, FedEx used its customs clearance expertise to expedite the very special shipment through Irish customs and delivered the animal on a dedicated FedEx vehicle, straight to Dublin Zoo.
In 2007 FedEx Express in the UK announced the launch of an express freighter flight directly linking Manchester to Memphis in the U.S. The service increased daily capacity from the UK to the US by 50 per cent and added up to 20 per cent daily capacity from Europe to the US . This flexibility to adapt to new circumstances that comes with each new challenge is possible thanks to the wide variety of services offered by FedEx worldwide.
As FedEx celebrates 35 years of dedicated customer service and business success, the company is looking ahead to find innovative solutions to future customer needs. Whatever the future brings, if it comes via FedEx, it will be on time and delivered with a smile.
