American Airlines Cargo has transported priceless Spanish art by masters including Goya and Picasso to San Antonio for the city’s tri-centennial celebration.

The works by El Greco, Velazquez, Goya, Picasso and other masters will be displayed at the San Antonio Museum of Art exhibition, “Spain: 500 Years of Spanish Painting from the Museums of Madrid” from 23 June to 16 September.

The exhibition includes more than 40 masterpieces from eight different collections, including the Prado Museum, the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum and the Reina Sofia Museum in Madrid.

Transporting the unique pieces of art required a special level of care as they were not only extremely valuable but are also priceless as cultural artefacts.

American Airlines team members partnered with freight forwarding specialists in four countries to ensure the paintings were handled with great care.

Due to the value of the artwork, security officials were involved at every stage of the journey including loading and unloading, packaging and processing through Customs.

Representatives from American Airlines oversaw the process to ensure that the paintings were never out of sight and always accompanied by a museum representative, but in the end the conveyance was seamless and the works of art arrived at their destination safely and on time.

American Airlines director of Europe and Asia cargo operations, Sandy Scott says: “This project required our team members to work together in a creative way while also partnering seamlessly with multiple outside companies in four different countries.

“While it was a huge undertaking, I’m proud that it was a success thanks to our teams’ dedication to protecting their cargo — no matter what it is — and ensuring a safe and timely delivery.”

Spanish Franciscan missionaries founded San Antonio in 1718 and events will be held throughout the year to celebrate the 300th anniversary.