FedEx's Challenger 300 lands in Washington the week of a $1.4 billion logistics deal

FedEx's Bombardier Challenger 300, tail N43FE, was tracked departing Hop Brook Farm Airport in New Jersey on July 1 and landing at Washington Dulles International Airport 53 minutes later, reaching a maximum altitude of 20,025 feet.

The timing would put FedEx in the Washington, D.C. area the same week multiple outlets reported that French container shipping group CMA CGM is nearing a $1.4 billion cash deal to acquire FedEx Supply Chain, the company's third-party logistics business. Per a Reuters report on July 1, talks are at an advanced stage and a deal could come together as soon as Wednesday. The sale would allow FedEx to focus on its core air-ground delivery network after having recently spun off its FedEx Freight trucking segment.

The flight to Dulles follows a pattern of recent trips for the Memphis-based logistics giant: the Challenger 300 had visited New York-area airports repeatedly in the preceding days, including stops on June 28 and June 25, suggesting a week of meetings around the region ahead of the reported deal. Whether FedEx was aboard, the aircraft's movements neatly shadow the company's ongoing corporate restructuring.