WATCH: Abu Dhabi’s Etihad Airways carry Kompany and Silva statues to their home at Manchester City

Manchester City have teamed up with Etihad Airways to safely deliver statues of two heroes from across the world to Manchester.

The huge 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. The statues will be unveiled before the match against Arsenal this weekend.

Glasgow born and raised, but now operating from his studio in Philadelphia, sculptor Andy Scott was appointed by City 15 months ago to bring the 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 service throughout the entire process. Carefully separated into four parts, the 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.

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.

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