FedEx debuts retro 777F livery as Memphis airport renamed for founder

FedEx has introduced a Boeing 777 Freighter finished in a retro livery that recalls the small fleet of aircraft used when the company began operations in 1973. The unveiling coincided with the renaming of the carrier's Memphis hub airport after founder Frederick W. Smith, who died earlier this year.

The aircraft, registered N884FD, bears a design inspired by the Dassault Falcon 20 jets that Federal Express relied on at its launch. It has been named after Smith's granddaughter and was among the first aircraft to operate into the newly designated Frederick W. Smith International Airport in Memphis.

Federal Express began flying from Memphis in April 1973 with a small workforce and a fleet of 14 aircraft, delivering under 200 packages to a couple dozen US cities on its opening night. Smith had first outlined the concept of an overnight delivery network in a university paper years earlier, an idea he continued to develop after military service before founding the company in Arkansas and later relocating it to Memphis, which offered a central location and favorable operating conditions for round-the-clock flights.

The company's early history included periods of severe financial strain before it grew into a major global cargo carrier. The retro-liveried 777F is intended to mark that history alongside the airport renaming, according to the company.