Panalpina Eyes 20-year Milestone at International Intermodal Center

Twenty years of “Dixie Jet” operations at the International Intermodal Center is just around the corner for Panalpina, one of the world's leading suppliers of forwarding and logistics services. The Dixie Jet, appropriately named, is an Atlas B747-400 freighter with non-stop international service four times weekly between Huntsville and Luxembourg as well as Huntsville to Mexico. September 15, 2010, will mark 20 years of consecutive flying in spite of all the economic downturns—terror attacks in the U.S. and elsewhere, bird flu, swine influenza, and their harmful effects on aviation, which is quite a long time for a single, transatlantic cargo service.

According to Lucas Kuehner, Managing Director, Panalpina USA, “In Huntsville, we are treated like little kings. Here we are given first class service, be it by the airport people or the local customs authority. From the very first flight 20 years ago until today, the Dixie Jet has been a major contributor to our global display of cargo transports.”  

Mitch Bradley, Director of the International Intermodal Center, agrees that providing non-stop customer service and tailoring the business to meet the needs of Panalpina and all of the Center’s tenants is key to the success of the Center’s operations. “This 20-year milestone is a tribute to those visionaries within our organization and Panalpina that believed in taking a chance that has proven successful two decades later. Our relationship with Panalpina has always been viewed as a true partnership and one in which I expect to continue for many more decades to come.”