FedEx Reveals Retro-Livery Boeing 777F as Memphis Airport Takes Founder's Name

Published by PAY1985 | Gordon G / published on August 15, 2026, 4:01 pm

FedEx marked a significant chapter in its corporate history this week by unveiling a Boeing 777F painted in a heritage livery and celebrating the renaming of Memphis International Airport, now officially Frederick W. Smith International Airport, in honor of its late founder.

The Boeing 777F, registered N884FD and nicknamed "Rosie" after one of Smith's granddaughters, born shortly before his passing, now carries the visual identity that helped establish FedEx as a household name. It made the first ceremonial landing at the newly renamed airport as Flight 1944, a number chosen to honor the year of Smith's birth. FedEx chose the widebody jet as its canvas because it represents the modern backbone of its international operations; the company became the first U.S.-based all-cargo airline to take delivery of the Boeing 777 Freighter, in 2009.