Representatives from Boeing, Atlas, K+N and K+N’s customer, Google, participated in the ribbon cutting ceremony.
The second to the last of the 747-8Fs ever to be produced by Boeing took center stage last week at a special ribbon cutting ceremony with Atlas’ customer, Kuehne+Nagel. Hosted at the Boeing Everett Delivery Center in Seattle, the event was attended by over 70 executives from Boeing, Atlas, Kuehne+Nagel and their customers.
The ceremonial “keys” to the Boeing 747-8F, named ‘Inspire.’, were presented by John Dietrich and Michael Steen to Yngve Ruud, Executive Vice President, Air Logistics at Kuehne+Nagel, to mark the expanded partnership between Atlas Air and Kuhne+Nagel.
“We couldn’t be more delighted to share this day with you to give Kuehne+Nagel the last two 747s that are ever going to be built,” said John. “The focus for Atlas is to be sure that we contribute to your success and to take this venture to the next level with another great service offering from Kuehne+Nagel. Our commitment is to your success, and that of your customers. Thank you for putting your trust in us to get to this moment.”
“At the end of day, this is a collaboration and a team effort. Atlas is a strong believer in building strategic relationships with our customers in order to provide the best transportation we can, as well as invest in their respective supply chains,” said Michael. “One such investment is the joint effort that we – Atlas and Kuehne+Nagel – are going to make, is to the environment and a sustainable operation. You have Atlas’ commitment to continue to work with Kuehne+Nagel, and of course your customers as well, to make this a tremendous success.”
“This is a big day. For our team, this is probably the day that we’ve been looking forward to the longest,” said Yngve. “If you look at the plane, and the name ‘Inspire.’, you see the commitment that we are giving today to serve our customer and to make sure our industry is evolving.”
The Kuehne+Nagel 747-8F “Inspire.”
Attendees also enjoyed a special factory tour and a private visit inside the aircraft. Many of the guests remarked that one of the highlights of their day was meeting the Atlas 747 crewmembers: Tom Vize, 747 Fleet Captain and Designated Examiner, Joe Masone, 747 Captain and Designated Examiner and Roberto Meneghini, 747 Captain and Designated Examiner. The pilots shared their enthusiasm for the newest 747 arrival and answered questions from our guests.
The aircraft, which Atlas Air will operate for Kuehne+Nagel under a long-term, dedicated charter agreement, was officially delivered today, November 22.
For more information on the delivery, please click here.
