777 Freighter takes center stage at FedEx employee event in Tennessee
- Thousands turn out to celebrate the newest addition to the carrier’s fleet
*- FedEx touts jet’s capabilities as “revolutionary” *
FedEx welcomed its first 777 Freighter at a special celebration attended by thousands of employees and their family members on Oct. 10 at the carrier’s Memphis, Tenn. facilities. The jet made a scheduled fly-by of the event to usher the 777 Freighter into the carrier’s fleet, then FedEx fire crews gave the jet a water cannon salute.
Frederick Smith, FedEx company founder, president, CEO and chairman, told the assembled throng that the 777 Freighter “is quite a machine” and “it’s going to revolutionize our business.” With the 777 Freighter, transit times from points in Asia to the FedEx Memphis hub, for example, will drop by one to three hours, which translates into later package drop off times for customers.
During the ceremony, FedEx introduced nine-month-old Saad Kashif Zia for whom this 777 Freighter is named. It’s a FedEx company tradition to name each aircraft in the fleet after an employee’s child. Saad’s father Kashif Zia, a FedEx accountant in New Jersey, said he was honored for his son’s name to be painted on FedEx’s newest and largest airplane, which “will be around for many years to come.”
At the conclusion of the event, many FedEx employees and their guests toured the 777 Freighter, with some waiting in line for hours to get a glimpse.
FedEx officially took delivery of this 777 Freighter, the first in a 15 airplane order, on Sept. 25 in Everett, Wash. FedEx, the world’s largest air cargo carrier with 659 airplanes in its fleet, is the first U.S.-based global freight operator to fly the 777 Freighter.
Congratulations Mr Kashif Zia…:k: