FedEx Panda Express completes first-ever roundtrip deliveries

FedEx Corporation transported six giant pandas between China and the United States on two separate flights this week.

The roundtrip journey departed Atlanta, GA., arrived in Chengdu, China, where it delivered four pandas and then returned to Washington, D.C. with two pandas.

The pandas traveled aboard a FedEx Boeing 777-F, known as the "FedEx Panda Express."

Departing Atlanta, FedEx transported four giant pandas from Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport to Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport (CTU). The FedEx Panda Express departed on Oct. 12 and arrived in Chengdu on October 13. The four pandas aboard included 27-year-old female Lun Lun and 27-year-old male Yang Yang, who have resided at Zoo Atlanta since 1999, and their twin female offspring, Ya Lun and Xi Lun, born at Zoo Atlanta in 2016. They have now safely arrived at the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding.

On the return flight, FedEx transported two pandas from CTU to the Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute (NZCBI) in Washington, D.C. The FedEx Panda Express departed Chengdu on October 14 and arrived at Dulles International Airport on October 15. From there, the pandas were taken by truck to NZCBI. The two pandas aboard included two-year-old male Bao Li and two-year-old female Qing Bao. Bao Li is the grandcub of Mei Xiang and Tian Tian, whom FedEx transported to China, along with their cub, Xiao Qi Ji, in November 2023.

For more than two decades, FedEx has worked with the Chinese government and zoos around the world to safely transport giant pandas to and from China.

Related News:

Watch This | Giant pandas' first day at US zoo

Watch This | Two giant pandas from China arrive in Washington, D.C.