The 12-year-old South African was selected following a tradition that started in 1973 when the very first FedEx Express plane was named ‘Wendy’, honouring the daughter of Frederick W. Smith, founder, chairman and CEO of FedEx.
Johannesburg, South Africa (01 March 2021) – FedEx Express Aircraft N273FE (“Liam”) is taking to the skies and is also the first FedEx plane named after a South African!
The aircraft was named after Liam Perumal, the 12-year-old son of team members based in Johannesburg, South Africa.
Liam was selected following a tradition that started in 1973, when the very first FedEx Express plane, a Dassault Falcon 20, was named ‘Wendy’, honouring the daughter of Frederick W. Smith, founder, chairman and CEO of FedEx. And for more than 30 years, every trunk plane in the FedEx fleet has been named after an employee’s child via drawing and the child’s name is painted prominently on the front of each aircraft.
“Thank you, FedEx, for this wonderful surprise. I would like to encourage all the youth of our country to never give up on their dreams, stay on the path, and you will be smiling at the end of the race. ”, said Liam.
From the first night of operations, when 14 aircraft took to the skies, FedEx Express now has more than 680 aircraft in its fleet, with Liam being the first plane to be named after a team member’s child based in Africa.
Congrats Liam! What a great honour.
by 