FedEx Unveils Retro Boeing 777 in Tribute to Founder Frederick W. Smith

FedEx has unveiled a striking new retro livery on one of its Boeing 777 Freighters, recreating the colours worn by the company's aircraft during the earliest days of its operation. The aircraft, Boeing 777F N884FD, appeared in the historic purple, orange and white scheme as part of a series of events honouring FedEx founder Frederick W. Smith.

A Modern 777 in Classic Federal Express Colours

N884FD has been repainted in a scheme inspired by the original Federal Express livery of the 1970s. Instead of the familiar modern FedEx branding, the Boeing 777 wears a largely white fuselage with the distinctive purple and orange cheatlines associated with the company's earliest aircraft. Those colours were famously worn by the Dassault Falcon 20 business jets which launched Federal Express flight operations from Memphis in April 1973.

The first night of operations saw the fledgling company use its Falcon fleet to carry just 186 packages to 25 US cities. From those relatively modest beginnings, Smith's hub-and-spoke concept developed into one of the largest express freight networks in the world.

Meet N884FD - ‘Rosie’

The aircraft chosen for the special scheme is N884FD, a Boeing 777-FS2 Freighter with manufacturer serial number 37137. It first flew in February 2011 and has spent its career flying for FedEx. The aircraft has also been given the name Rosie, after one of Frederick W. Smith's granddaughters, who was born shortly before his death in June 2025.

N884FD took centre stage during the dedication ceremony on 11 August when it operated FedEx Flight 1944 into Memphis. The flight number was itself significant, representing the year in which Frederick W. Smith was born. The retro 777 then performed the first ceremonial landing at the newly renamed airport.

Memphis Airport Renamed for Frederick W. Smith

The appearance of the retro aircraft coincided with the formal renaming of Memphis International Airport in honour of the FedEx founder. The airport is now known as Frederick W. Smith International Airport, recognising Smith's enormous contribution not only to FedEx, but also to Memphis and the development of the modern air freight industry.

Smith founded Federal Express in 1971 and selected Memphis as its operational base in 1973, in part because of its central location and relatively reliable weather. That decision would transform both the company and the airport. Today, the FedEx Memphis World Hub sorts more than 2.4 million packages every day, while FedEx as a whole delivers more than 18 million packages daily around the world.

Smith died in June 2025 at the age of 80. The airport dedication took place on 11 August 2026, which would have been his 82nd birthday, and coincided with the inaugural FedEx FWS Day of Service.