Lufthansa Cargo’s newest Boeing 777 Freighter, D-ALFF was officially named at Tokyo’s Narita Airport, taking the name Konnichiwa Japan.

The aircraft was named in a joint ceremony by Peter Gerber, CEO and chairman of the executive board of Lufthansa Cargo; Dr Hans Carl von Werthern, the German ambassador to Japan; Yasuo Ishii, administrator of Narita International Airport; and Futoshi Osada, senior executive vice president of Narita International Airport Corporation.

In keeping with Japanese tradition, a sake barrel was opened and the aircraft was sprinkled with Japan’s national drink.

The name was chosen for the aircraft, Konnichiwa Japan, symbolising Japan’s importance in the global air cargo market.

Gerber says: “The greeting ‘Konnichiwa Japan’ expresses the close connection between Lufthansa Cargo and Japan. We are very proud to have been flying to the Land of the Rising Sun with our own freighters since 1969, thus contributing to trade between these markets.”

Lufthansa has served customers in Japan since 1961 and has been part of an air cargo joint venture with Japan’s ANA Cargo since 2014.