The suspensions of the American companies and the FedEx temporarily grounded their fleets of cargo cargo after a midway crash in Kentucky on Tuesday that killed.
UPS planes caught fire while taxiing and crashed into neighboring businesses, prompting a massive fire to engulf several buildings and shut down Louisville International Airport.
UPS said the decision to ground MD-11 models followed instructions from the Boeing factory, while rival giant FedEx confirmed it would follow suit.
Officials are still working on what caused the fatal crash.
Hours before the fleet landed, it was confirmed that the death toll rose to 14 after another body was found, still searching for buildings on fire.
“We pray for each of the victims’ families and pray that no more victims are lost,” said Louisville Mayor Carig Greenberg.
In a statement, UPS said the decision to cut 3% of its fleet was out of “an abundance of caution”.
It is unclear to what extent delivery services will be affected by the moves from UPS and FedEx.
UPS said contingency plans are in place to continue service. A statement continued: “Nothing is more important to us than the safety of our employees and the communities we serve.”
The model of the plane involved in the crash is a triple-engine plane, which first entered service 34 years ago with a passenger jet, but switched to passengers in 2006.
The MD-11S was originally developed by McDonnell Douglas, before the company merged with Boeing in 1997.
According to the National Transportation and Safety Board, the left engine caught fire and was detached from the take-off wing.
The planes were carrying 38,000 gallons (144,000 liters) of fuel as they tried to take off on a long flight to Hawaii, which contributed to the size of the fire that fell after the crash.