Airborne Express

Airborne Express
Airborne Express 767
IATA ICAO Call sign
GB ABX ABEX
Founded1946 (1946)
Ceased operations
  • Air operations: August 15, 2003 (2003-08-15)
  • Ground logistics: November 10, 2008 (2008-11-10)
HubsWilmington, Ohio
HeadquartersSeattle, Washington
Key peopleCarl Donaway (president)

Airborne Express was an express delivery company and cargo airline. Headquartered in Seattle, Washington, its hub was in Wilmington, Ohio. Airborne was founded as the Airborne Flower Traffic Association of California in 1946 to fly flowers from Hawaii to the US mainland. Airborne Express was acquired by DHL in 2003. Prior to the acquisition, it rose to be the third largest private express delivery company in the United States, behind Federal Express (FedEx Express) and United Parcel Service (UPS).