NBAA Mourns Loss of Business Aviation Champion Fred Smith

The National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) marked the passing of former FedEx CEO Fred Smith, the company’s founder and a business aviation advocate throughout his career.

“Fred Smith changed the world with his creation of the cargo airline industry, but he always credited business aviation with helping make FedEx the company it is today,” NBAA President and CEO Ed Bolen said.

Bolen continued, “NBAA is proud that FedEx has been a member company since 1983, because the company has continually represented the values and professionalism NBAA has promoted since its inception.”

FedEx began its operations utilizing Dassault Falcon 20 aircraft, one of which is today displayed at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum’s Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Virginia. Over time, FedEx operated the world’s largest fleet of Cessna Caravans.

In 2012, NBAA recognized Smith with its Al Ueltschi Humanitarian Award for his contributions to the international nonprofit ORBIS, which operates a “Flying Eye Hospital” and training center credited with restoring sight to more than 23 million individuals around the world.

Smith, a prominent spokesperson for NBAA’s No Plane No Gain program highlighting business aviation’s value, was featured in the advocacy campaign’s Business Leaders on Business Aviation publication.

A statement he made for the publication, which today is proudly displayed in the lobby of the company’s Memphis, TN headquarters reads:

“Business aviation has been an integral part of FedEx’s success since the day we were founded. The military calls it a ‘force multiplier,’ and that’s what business aircraft have been for FedEx. They’ve given us the capability to fight above our weight, and with the enormous global network we have in place today, they allow our people to move around the world in a much more efficient and productive fashion than would have been the case had we not operated with business aircraf”

Smith, a proponent for all forms of innovation in the aviation sector, was an early advocate for sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). In a March 2021 hearing of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, Smith highlighted the work of FedEx with “industry, government agencies, academia and alternative fuel suppliers” to pursue the production and use of the fuel.

Smith also joined the U.S. Marines and served two tours of duty during the Vietnam War. He was also a philanthropist whose work and donations reflected his passion for aviation and the military.

“With class and dignity, Fred Smith created an enduring business and industry that has touched the lives of billions,” Bolen said, “He made our country and the world better. We will miss him greatly."