In October 2026, Paul King and his wife Asako stepped aboard the Boeing 747 where they first met 27 years earlier. The aircraft was now a freighter at Liège Airport, and the First Class cabin where they had struck up a conversation was gone.
They met in July 1999 on an All Nippon Airways (ANA) flight from Tokyo Narita to Washington Dulles. Paul was one of just two passengers in First Class; Asako was a flight attendant on the 13-hour flight. Their conversation led to marriage and two daughters. Paul kept a note of the aircraft’s registration, JA8094, as a reminder of where it all began.
The 747 went on to a second career in cargo. After leaving passenger service, it was converted into a freighter and re-registered TF-AMP. Magma Aviation says Air Atlanta has operated the aircraft since 2012 and that it has supported Magma’s cargo network since 2017.
Magma arranged the visit at Liège, where the couple walked through the aircraft and took photographs. Asako brought along her old ANA flight attendant’s cap. With the seats removed and the interior turned into a cargo deck, she had to picture the cabin as it was on the day they met.
Story kindly supplied by Avia Solutions Group