FedEx Express

FedEx Express is the world's largest cargo airline, flying several hundred Boeing 757s, 767s and 777 Freighters plus MD-11Fs through its superhub at Memphis International Airport and a global network of regional sorting centres. Its operation is built around overnight package delivery, which means much of the flying happens at night on a schedule set by sort times rather than passenger demand — a different rhythm of career from an airline, and one many pilots deliberately choose.

Flying for FedEx

FedEx hires experienced pilots only; there is no cadet or ab-initio route. Candidates need an ATP certificate and the FAA minimum of 1,500 hours, but the published minimum bears little relation to what actually gets hired — new hires in 2024 averaged around 4,187 total hours with 2,340 hours of turbine pilot-in-command time. The airline states a preference for at least 1,000 hours of multi-engine turboprop or jet PIC in aircraft above 12,500lb, and takes candidates from airline, cargo, military and, more selectively, corporate jet backgrounds.

The process runs in four stages: online application, records review, assessment day and a conditional offer into training. The assessment day is a full day at Memphis combining cognitive and personality testing, a technical interview covering systems, flying experience and applied physics and mechanics, a situational and panel HR interview, and a simulator evaluation in the Boeing 757. The cognitive testing and the technical questions on mechanics and physics are the components that reward structured preparation rather than accumulated hours.