FedEx History

FedEx History in MEISA

FedEx History in MEISA

Our history dates back to 1965 when our CEO and Chairman Frederick W. Smith, then a Yale undergraduate, designed a cutting-edge new system that would allow for the safe delivery of time-sensitive shipments.

Within a decade he had established Federal Express Corp- the world’s first overnight delivery company, changing the transportation industry forever. Entering Middle east in 1989, FedEx Express currently serves hundreds of cities and market with its intercontinental and international express delivery Services.

1973

  • Federal Express establishes operations.

  • On the first night of continuous operation, 389 employees and 14 Dassault Falcon jets deliver 186 packages to 25 U.S. cities.

1983

  • Federal Express reaches US$1 billion in revenue – the first U.S. business to achieve this status without merger or acquisition.

  • Acquired Flying Korea Co. Ltd. as a GSA of FedEx in South Korea. 

1985

  • Regularly scheduled flights to Europe begin.

1989

  • FedEx Express establishes direct operations in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

  • Federal Express purchases Flying Tigers to expand its international presence.

1991

  • ExpressFreighter® is introduced to provide overnight delivery between the U.S., Europe and Asia.

1994

  • FedEx launches fedex.com the first transportation Web site to offer online package status tracking, enabling customers to conduct business via the Internet.

  • FedEx achieves ISO 9001 certification for its global operations – the first major carrier to earn this quality standard.

1996

  • FedEx becomes the first company to allow customers to process shipments online with the introduction of FedEx interNetShip® (now FedEx Ship Manager®).

1997

  • FedEx launches an around-the-world flight, which significantly reduces transit times from Europe to the Middle-East, the Indian subcontinent and Asia. The flight also marks the introduction of the first regular express transportation service to Mumbai, India.

1999

  • FedEx launches FedEx EuroOne® Network, opening a hub at Roissy-Charles de Gaulle airport in France.

  • FedEx extends its gateway in Frankfurt by almost doubling its size. Package handling/sort capacity increases by 70%, and sort speed increases by more than 60%.

  • Launch of an improved FedEx International Priority service through the new FedEx EuroOne Network, featuring later pick up times and earlier deliveries for European customers.

2000

  • Parent company FDX is renamed "FedEx Corporation." Services are divided into companies that operate independently yet compete collectively: FedEx Express, FedEx Ground, FedEx Global Logistics, FedEx Custom Critical and FedEx Services.

  • FedEx announces an expansion of its global network connecting Europe to Asia by a direct flight from its EMEA hub in Paris to its APAC hub in Subic Bay, the Philippines.

  • FedEx introduces customer technology solutions including a redesigned fedex.com, FedEx e-Commerce Builder®, FedEx Global Trade Manager® and FedEx Ship Manager®.

2002

  • Launch of FedEx InSight®. By entering an InSight® login ID, customers can view the status and contents of incoming and outgoing shipments while in transit.

2003

  • FedEx is successfully recertified for the revised ISO 9001:2000 international quality management standard for its entire worldwide operations.

2006

  • FedEx Corp acquires UK-based ANC, to be run as a wholly owned subsidiary of FedEx Express EMEA.

2007

  • FedEx Corporation completes its acquisition of its global service participant, PAFEX, in India.

  • FedEx Express acquires its Hungarian global service participant, Flying Cargo Hungary Kft.

  • FedEx Express announces UK-based ANC is re-branded as FedEx UK.

2008

  • FedEx Corp ranks ninth in the business Superbrands list and is the only company representing the transportation industry in the top 20, making it a leader in its field.

  • FedEx Express announces its new East Coast Special service; with customers benefiting from faster, seamless service to more of the East Coast of the United States.

  • FedEx UK receives ISO 14001 accreditation for successfully meeting a stringent set of demands relating to environmental management.

2009

  • FedEx Express and Modec Electric Vans launch 10 new innovative battery powered vehicles for use across three FedEx Express London depots; reducing FedEx carbon footprint by 90 tons of carbon per year.

  • FedEx Express launches 10 hybrid Iveco electric commercial vehicles in Milan and Turin, Italy.

  • FedEx Express introduces FedEx International Economy® service for less time sensitive shipments from more than 90 countries and territories around the globe. In addition, FedEx International Economy® Freight service is available from more than 50 countries and territories.

  • FedEx Express announces the launch of next-business-day domestic express service for the Indian market.

  • FedEx Express enhances its overnight services between Asia and Europe with a new next-business-day service connecting mainland China, Hong Kong and Singapore with France and Germany.

2010

  • FedEx Express opens a new, state-of-the-art hub at the Cologne/Bonn airport; becoming the company’s new Central and Eastern European gateway and FedEx largest solar-powered hub worldwide.

  • FedEx Express launches an important new connection between Asia and Europe, with a direct roundtrip flight operating five days a week between Hong Kong and Paris—the first provider to offer a next-business-day service from Hong Kong to Europe.

2011

  • FedEx Express acquires the logistics, distribution and express businesses of AFL Pvt. Ltd and its affiliate Unifreight India Pvt. Ltd. in India.

  • FedEx Express launches a new flight between India and the FedEx Asia Pacific hub at Baiyun International Airport Guangzhou, Southern China to provide better connectivity and improved services.

  • FedEx Express launches a new Boeing 777 intercontinental flight route to improve connectivity between India, Europe, Middle East, and the US.

  • FedEx European Hub at CDG obtains ISO 14001:2004 Environmental Certification.

  • FedEx Express strengthens its commitment to the environment by opening a state-of-the-art, eco-sustainable distribution center in Machelen, Belgium.

  • FedEx Express is named among Top Five of the “World’s Best Multinational Workplaces” by the Great Places to Work Institute.

  • FedEx Express opens a new station in Belfast and launches a new daily flight offering next-day service to Europe and the East Coast of the US, as well as a two-business-day service to Asia and the rest of the US.

  • FedEx Express launches new green delivery initiative in France by introducing seven electronically-assisted tricycles for package deliveries and collections in three separate districts in Paris.

2012

  • FedEx Express is named a Business Superbrand in the UK for 2012.

  • From June 2011 to May 2012 FedEx Express announces the opening of 38 stations in France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Sweden and the United Kingdom.

  • From June 2011 to May 2012 FedEx Express launches four new Boeing 757’s. B757’s will offer next-business-day services to FedEx Express customers in Oslo and significantly improve services for customers in Sweden, Finland, UK and the Netherlands, most notably through faster transit times, as well as extended cut-off times.

  • FedEx Express becomes the first operator to launch a regular Boeing 777F service to and from Cologne. With lower emissions and less fuel consumption, this aircraft reduces the environmental and also noise impact of operations.

  • FedEx Express acquires Polish shipping company Opek Sp.z o.o.

  • FedEx Express becomes the first transportation company globally to launch carbon-neutral shipping for all FedEx envelopes at no extra charge to its customers.

  • FedEx FedEx Express acquires TATEX, a leading French business-to-business express transportation company.

  • FedEx Express is named Super Eco-Airline of the Year 2012 by Air Transport World.

  • FedEx Express launches a new international B777 route between Milan, Italy and Memphis, US, with a stop in Munich, Germany once a week.

  • FedEx Express announces the launch of SenseAware to the UK, a service that provides real time access to a package’s vital statistics when in transit or stationary. The service provides customers with broader international availability and the ability to use the service with carriers outside the FedEx networks

  • FedEx Express rolls out it’s ’Priority Alert’ and ‘Priority Alert Plus’ services to an additional 29 countries across EMEA.

  • FedEx Express launches a new twitter handle for EMEA which is home to the latest news, events and European announcements.

  • FedEx Express announces the opening of 38 stations in Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, the Middle East and Sweden.

  • FedEx Express introduces a direct route from Gdansk, Poland to Paris’s Roissy-Charles de Gaulle airport four times a week. The new flight connects Northern Poland to the global network through the main European hub, extending the pick-up and delivery times for customers within the region.

  • FedEx Express opens a new facility in Al Garhoud, Dubai to accommodate growing shipping demands. The new facility houses an operating station, 24/7 customer service call center and a retail service center.

2013

  • FedEx Express transports two giant pandas from Chengdu, China, to Toronto Zoo, Canada aboard an MD-11 aircraft.

  • FedEx Express wins a number of awards including being voted in the top 20 Business Superbrands in the UK, named as an Outstanding Employer by CRF Institute and awarded first place in the Supply Chain Integrity Innovator of the Year category at the Cool Chain Logistics 2013 Europe Excellence Awards.

  • Continuing its commitment to local communities FedEx Express donates $50,000 USD to SOS-Kinderdorf e.V. (SOS Children’s Villages) in Berlin. Whilst in Munich FedEx Express supported the student initiative Plant for the Planet which saw 600 trees planted within the Rhein-Sieg District.

  • FedEx Express Belgium, France and Ireland are recognized by the Great Place to Work institute.

  • FedEx Express surpasses its vehicle fuel efficiency ahead of schedule with more than 22 percent cumulative improvement in fuel economy for its vehicles.