FedEx lands at Lakefront Airport the same week pilots ratify new contract

FedEx flew from Strayhorn Hay Field Airport in Mississippi to Lakefront Airport in New Orleans on Monday afternoon, June 15, 2026. The Bombardier Challenger 300, tail number N43FE, made the 48-minute trip at an altitude of 34,000 feet, arriving just after noon local time.

The same week, FedEx pilots ratified a new collective bargaining agreement, the company announced Tuesday, per a FedEx newsroom release. The four-year contract, which takes effect June 29, includes a 40% pay increase and resolves more than five years of negotiations. The new deal was approved by 83% of pilots, as reported by FreightWaves. Separately, FedEx completed the spin-off of FedEx Freight on June 1, creating an independent, publicly traded less-than-truckload carrier, also confirmed by the FedEx newsroom.

The visit to New Orleans fits FedEx's pattern of executive travel to operational hubs and labor-negotiation sites. Recent flights show the same aircraft shuttling between Memphis and the New York area in early June, likely for board or investor meetings related to the spin-off. Today's arrival at Lakefront Airport places key leadership close to the Gulf region as the company implements the new pilot agreement and navigates the structural separation of FedEx Freight.