Have love, will travel: Bye-bye to Bao Bao [VIDEO]

Amid sad protests from children around America’s capital city region, a giant panda that had been on loan from China for three years at the Smithsonian Institution’s National Zoo in Washington, D.C., boarded a FedEx freighter flight to China earlier this week, leaving the U.S. to join a breeding program. The 777F left Dulles International Airport Tuesday, for Chengdu, China, embarking on a nonstop, 16-hour flight.

If you think airline food is gross, Bao Bao was treated to 17 pounds (8 kilograms) of bamboo and “leafeater biscuits” before being loaded into a customized travel crate. Once airborne, the panda was treated to 50 pounds of bamboo, 2 pounds of apples, 2 bags of leafeater biscuits, cooked sweet potatoes and water.

Further deviating from the anonymity and banality of air travel, Bao Bao’s truck, the 777F, and even forklift, were decked out in special panda-themed livery to commemorate the event.

Those interested in learning more about airfreight in 2017, should join us at Cargo Facts Asia in Shanghai, 25 – 26 April.  To register, or for more information, go to CargoFactsAsia.com