LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- February 1 is the 30th anniversary of a routine flight to Milwaukee that was the beginning of an air cargo giant.
On February 1, 1988 a UPS DC-8 made the first official flight for UPS Airlines capping off a frantic ten month startup, the fastest creation of an airline in history.
UPS says there was no particular reason for choosing Milwaukee as the first destination other than it was the first scheduled flight after the FAA signed off on the airline.
During that ten month timeframe, UPS hired 800 pilots along with the necessary ground crews and obtained an FAA certificate to operate their own airline instead of using other companies’ planes.
Since then, UPS increased its fleet size to nearly 250 and serves 220 countries and territories around the globe.
PHOTOS: UPS Airlines
1 of 6 2 of 6 3 of 6 4 of 6 5 of 6 6 of 6