FedEx has unveiled a Boeing 777 Freighter painted in the company's original purple-and-orange colors as part of a series of tributes to founder Frederick W. Smith, who died in June 2025.
The aircraft made a ceremonial landing on Tuesday as Flight 1944, a reference to Smith's birth year, at the newly renamed Frederick W. Smith International Airport in Memphis. FedEx also named the freighter Rosie, following the company's tradition of naming aircraft after employees' children. In this case, the aircraft honors one of Smith's granddaughters.
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August 04, 2026
Smith founded Federal Express in 1973 and chose Memphis as the company's headquarters because of its central location and favorable weather conditions. Over the following decades, the airport grew into the world's largest cargo hub, where FedEx now sorts more than 2.4 million packages every day as part of a global network that handles over 18 million shipments daily.
The airport's new name recognizes Smith's role in transforming Memphis into one of the world's busiest air cargo centers and in pioneering the overnight express delivery business.
Besides the retro-liveried 777F, FedEx marked the occasion with other initiatives. The company unveiled a mural near the airport featuring a portrait of Smith composed of the distinctive purple tails of FedEx aircraft and launched the inaugural FWS Day of Service, a company-wide volunteer program that will become an annual event.
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The day of service forms part of FedEx's annual Purple Week celebration and included more than 120 volunteer and community projects across the world, extending Smith's long-standing emphasis on community involvement beyond his contributions to the aviation and logistics industries.
