Etihad transports Manchester City player statues from across the world to Manchester

• Large scale creations of club legends Vincent Kompany and David Silva were designed and built by award-winning sculptor Andy Scott
• Entire design and build process has been conducted remotely at Andy Scott’s studio in Philadelphia, USA
• Carefully separated and packaged up, the statues were flown from Chicago to Frankfurt by Etihad Cargo and from then on by road to Manchester
• Etihad’s expertise in cargo transport and logistics key to successful delivery of statues 

Manchester City has teamed up with long-standing partner, Etihad Airways in the international transportation of two player statues from across the world to Manchester.

The large scale statues of club legends Vincent Kompany and David Silva have travelled 5,778 miles from the United States to Manchester ahead of their installation at the Etihad Stadium later this week.

Glasgow born and raised, but now operating from his studio in Philadelphia, Sculptor Andy Scott was appointed by the Club 15 months ago to bring the player legends to life in sculpture form. Uniquely, the entire process from commissioning, to design and build has been conducted remotely due to travel restrictions relating to the global pandemic.

Following completion of the statues in Philadelphia, the complex work of logistics and transportation began with Etihad Cargo exclusively providing dedicated and end-to-end  service throughout the entire process. Carefully separated into four parts and meticulously packaged, these sizeable statues were trucked from Andy’s studio in Philadelphia to Chicago, loaded onto a Boeing 777 Freighter and flown to Frankfurt and then transported by road to Manchester.

Etihad Cargo’s expertise in special delivery together with the utilisation of their extensive global network ensured that the statues were delivered on site and on schedule, ready to be installed for the Club’s unveiling on Saturday 28th August.

Commenting on Etihad’s support in the delivery process, Manchester City’s Director of Infrastructure Ed Dalton, said:

“These statues are bespoke and premium pieces of art that have been 15 months in the making.  The precious nature of the pieces together with their sheer size and weight, meant that their transportation across the world to Manchester was always going to be a challenging and complex process.

It was vital that we had an organisation with the appropriate logistical know-how, a global network and a team of people with the requisite experience and expertise to take on a project of this kind.

Etihad Cargo’s dedicated team have worked with the Club closely throughout this process and have been the perfect partner - highly organised, professional and collaborative and we are extremely grateful for their invaluable assistance.”

Martin Drew, Senior Vice President Sales and Cargo, Etihad Aviation Group, added:

“The Etihad Cargo team is extremely proud to have been chosen by Manchester City to transport this unique cargo shipment.

As partners to Manchester City for more than twelve years, we have watched at close quarters and in admiration at what Vincent Kompany and David Silva have achieved for the Club . Our team was therefore even more excited by this unique opportunity.  

The complexity of this operation involved months of planning and technical expertise in close cooperation with the Club . The successful delivery of this highly-confidential consignment demonstrated the teamwork capabilities within the Etihad network. 

We are all excited to see these statues unveiled having delivered them safely to what will become their permanent home.”

-Ends-

For more information contact: elliot.ward@cityfootball.com 

About Manchester City Football Club

Manchester City FC is an English Premier League club initially founded in 1880 as St Mark’s West Gorton. It officially became Manchester City FC in 1894 and has since then gone onto win the European Cup Winners’ Cup, seven League Championship titles, including five Premier League titles (2012, 2014, 2018, 2019, 2021), and six FA Cups. Manchester City FC is one of ten clubs comprising the City Football Group and counts New York City FC and Melbourne City FC among its sister clubs.

Under manager Pep Guardiola, one of the most highly decorated managers in world football, the Club plays its domestic and UEFA Champions League home fixtures at the Etihad Stadium, a spectacular 55,000 seat arena that City have called home since 2003. Today, the Stadium sits on the wider Etihad Campus, which also encompasses the City Football Academy, a state-of-the-art performance training and youth development facility located in the heart of East Manchester. Featuring a 7,000 capacity Academy Stadium, the City Football Academy is also where Manchester City Women’s Football Club and the Elite Development Squad train on a daily basis and play their competitive home games. 

For more information, please visit www.mancity.com       

About Etihad Cargo

Etihad Cargo is the cargo and logistics arm of the Etihad Aviation Group. Since its establishment in 2004, Etihad Cargo has grown rapidly to become one of the leading air cargo carriers in the world, offering customers a range of cargo products and services to five major continents. Our hub in Abu Dhabi is strategically located at the centre of the worlds’ busiest trade lanes, providing an integral link between Asia, Europe, North America, Australia and Africa.

In addition to general cargo, Etihad Cargo offers a wide range of specialty products including live animals, dangerous good, valuables and personal effects, as well as our market leading cold chain products (the latter holding IATA’s stringent Center of Excellence for Independent Validators certifications for both Pharmaceutical Logistics as well as Perishables Logistics). 

For more information, please visit www.etihadcargo.com 

Media Contacts:
Mohammad Zaki, Action Global Communications (Etihad Cargo)
Email: etihadcargo@actionprgroup.com
Duty Media Officer, Etihad Aviation Group
Email: dutymediaofficer@etihad.ae 

© Press Release 2021