Press release - 1 August 2017 11:07

Sojourner Truth becomes latest American tailfin hero on Norwegian’s new Boeing 737 MAX Aircraft

The activist and abolitionist is the airline’s first American female and first black tailfin hero

Norwegian has announced its first black and first American female tailfin hero, Sojourner Truth. The image of the notable abolitionist and activist will be featured on the tailfin of the airline’s next Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft. The Sojourner Truth aircraft, the second American tail fin hero, will take flight to the United States in a few weeks.

Norwegian has a time-honoured tradition of celebrating iconic, historical figures on the tails of its aircraft. Each person who is featured on a tailfin embodies Norwegian’s spirit of pushing boundaries, inspiring others and challenging the status quo.The new aircraft featuring Sojourner Truth is Norwegian’s fourth Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft this year - other tail fins to appear on the MAX aircraft include British aviation pioneer Sir Freddie Laker, Irish Antarctic explorer Tom Crean, author Jonathan Swift and US statesman Benjamin Franklin.

Born Isabella Baumfree in Upstate New York, the former slave changed her name to Sojourner Truth in 1843. She gave numerous speeches throughout her life and was recognized as a great orator for her ability to capture the crowd with her accounts what she endured while enslaved. In 1851, Truth delivered remarks about slavery and women’s rights at the Ohio Women’s Rights Convention that later became known as the “Ain’t I a Woman” speech.

Although she was best known for her dedication to the abolition of slavery and women’s rights, Truth was also a proponent for prison reform, property rights and universal suffrage. One of the Smithsonian’s “100 Most Significant Americans of All Time,” Truth helped to recruit Black troops for the Union Army during the Civil War. She died in Battle Creek, Michigan in 1883 and was able to see the abolition of slavery in her lifetime.

Thomas Ramdahl, Norwegian’s Chief Commercial Officer, said: “Our tailfin hero program celebrates everyday heroes who are admired for their various accomplishments and ability to inspire others to action. Sojourner Truth is definitely an inspiration and a pioneer for so many people in the United States and around the world. She is someone who pushed boundaries and challenged the establishment in more ways than one. These are all qualities that describe Norwegian and our global strategy. Our aircraft are the most recognizable aspects of our brand and we are very honored to use that canvas to pay tribute to this American icon.”

The MAX aircraft are being used on a series of new low-cost transatlantic routes launched this summer between the US East Coast, and Edinburgh, Belfast, Cork, Shannon and Dublin.

Norwegian is Europe’s third largest low-cost carrier, carrying 30 million yearly passengers to more than 140 global destinations. Norwegian has been voted the Best Low-Cost Long-Haul Airline for two consecutive years at the renowned SkyTrax Awards, and the Europe’s Best Low-Cost Airline for four consecutive years.

Topics

Contacts

For journalists only

Press contact Norwegian Press Office press@norwegian.com +47 815 11 816

Marketing/sponsorhip requests: marketing@norwegian.com

Press contact Marketing/sponsorship requests: marketing@norwegian.com

Norwegian.com

The Norwegian group is a leading Nordic aviation company, headquartered at Fornebu outside Oslo, Norway. The company has over 8,200 employees and owns two of the prominent airlines in the Nordics: Norwegian Air Shuttle and Widerøe’s Flyveselskap. Widerøe was acquired by Norwegian in 2024, aiming to facilitate seamless air travel across the two airline’s networks.

Norwegian Air Shuttle, the largest Norwegian airline with around 4,700 employees, operates an extensive route network connecting Nordic countries to key European destinations. In 2023, Norwegian carried over 20 million passengers and maintained a fleet of 87 Boeing 737-800 and 737 MAX 8 aircraft.

Widerøe’s Flyveselskap, Norway’s oldest airline, is Scandinavia’s largest regional carrier. The airline has more than 3,500 employees. Mainly operating the short-runway airports in rural Norway, Widerøe operates several state contract routes (PSO routes) in addition to its own commercial network. In 2023, the airline had 3.3 million passengers and a fleet of 48 aircraft, including 45 Bombardier Dash 8’s and three Embraer E190-E2's. Widerøe Ground Handling provides ground handling services at 41 Norwegian airports.

The Norwegian group has sustainability as a key priority and has committed to significantly reducing carbon emissions from its operations. Among numerous initiatives, the most noteworthy is the investment in production and use of fossil-free aviation fuel (SAF). Norwegian strives to become the sustainable choice for its passengers, actively contributing to the transformation of the aviation industry.