{"id":90223,"date":"2014-10-07T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2014-10-07T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/travelstartblg.wpenginepowered.com\/25-aircraft-livery-designs\/"},"modified":"2025-11-04T13:52:05","modified_gmt":"2025-11-04T13:52:05","slug":"25-aircraft-livery-designs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.travelstart.co.za\/blog\/25-aircraft-livery-designs\/","title":{"rendered":"25 Of The Best Aircraft Livery Designs Show Planes Have A Sense Of Humour Too"},"content":{"rendered":"

There\u2019s a long-standing tradition of airlines getting creative with paint jobs for promotional purposes and we love it! We\u2019ve gone in search of the most interesting aircraft livery designs we could find … Enjoy!<\/p>\n

Aisle, Window, Middle Earth \u2013 Air New Zealand<\/h2>\n

\"Air<\/p>\n

Air New Zealand<\/a>, the self-proclaimed \u2018airline of Middle-earth\u2019, has been wowing travellers in its super detailed Hobbit regalia. Leveraging on the fact that Tolkien classics are filmed in the land of the long white cloud, the Kiwi national carrier has done a sterling job of capturing the attention of audiences worldwide by transforming a Boeing 777-300ER into a flying billboard for The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey<\/em>. The decal covers the length of the plane, and is the largest graphic ever to be applied to an aircraft. It took about six days and 400 man hours to install the artwork.<\/p>\n

Rock Out With Your Landing Gear Out \u2013 Rolling Stones Boeing 767<\/h2>\n

\"Rolling<\/p>\n

The exterior might be minimalist with the famous “Tongue and Lip\u201d insignia of The Rolling Stones<\/em> being the only d\u00e9cor rocking the side of the bands B767, but we\u2019re sure the planes interior is anything but. That’s not a tiny private jet, by the way; an SAA 767, for comparison, carries just over 200 passengers.<\/p>\n

An \u201cUnbelievable\u201d Makeover \u2013 South African Airways<\/h2>\n

\"South<\/p>\n

Following the publicity success of Ndizani<\/em> \u2013 the plane used to transport the SA team to the 1996 Olympics, SAA<\/a> revealed a new paint job in 2012 ahead of the Summer Olympics which took place in London. The spectacularly decorated long haul Airbus A340-300 caused a splash at international airports with its bold and colourful images of national sports heroes. The spectacular design was created by Adri le Roux, a first year design student at Stellenbosch University. A colourful and vibrant visual, it uses the colours of the South African flag to create brush strokes covering the plane \u2026 something for Chad Le Clos dad to be proud of.<\/p>\n

Gummy Air \u2013 TUIfly<\/h2>\n

\"TUIfly<\/p>\n

This special edition B737-800 operated by German low cost carrier TUIfly showed its sweet side in 2010 when it emerged on the runway in full Haribo livery. The B737-800 plane actually comes in two varieties of Haribo colours \u2013 gold and blue, and both are operated by TUIfly. No matter how you look at it, for fans of the popular German gummy candy this Haribo adorned plane is a definite winner.<\/p>\n

Cheap Flights from Homer to Springfield \u2013 Western Pacific<\/h2>\n

\"Western<\/p>\n

This Simpsons branded Western Pacific Airlines Boeing 737-300 took its first flight on 15 May 1985; however, the airline ceased operations in 1998. While it never did fly to Springfield, the colourful livery was a well-received advertisement for the adored series which is now in its 26th<\/sup> Season.<\/p>\n

Sorry Brazil; Not Enough \u2018Gol\u2019s\u2019<\/h2>\n

\"Gol<\/p>\n

The host nation\u2019s low cost airline certainly got lively with their plane livery over the World Cup. Brazilian carrier Gol Transportes A\u00e9reos was appointed the official transport for the Brazilian national football team during the month long tournament so they did what any self-respecting airline would do \u2013 they enlisted the help of local street artists Os G\u00eameos<\/em><\/a> to tag the entire fa\u00e7ade of a Boeing 737 in dozens of portraits representing the people of Brazil. The striking result: a vibrant ode to the national teams adoring fans from the tail to the nose and engines.<\/p>\n

Free Willy \u2013 Southwest Airlines<\/h2>\n

\"Southwest<\/p>\n

Since 1998, two Southwest aircraft are painted to look like an Orca, as advertisements for SeaWorld. Despite the sugary whale aesthetic, many Southwest clients were pleased when the airline ended their 26-year marketing relationship with SeaWorld mid-2014; the Orlando-based theme park operator has come under increasing fire for capturing and training orca whales in recent years.<\/p>\n

Pok\u00e9mon Plane \u2013 ANA<\/h2>\n

\"ANA<\/p>\n

In a bold and imaginative move, Japan\u2019s All Nippon Airways (ANA) unveiled its first Pok\u00e9mon jets on 1 July 1998, timed with the release of Pok\u00e9mon: The First Movie<\/em>. Passengers on the Pok\u00e9mon Jets received a complete \u201cPok\u00e9mania\u201d experience \u2013 the aircraft and flight crews were decked out in Pok\u00e9mon themes, including headrests, flight attendant uniforms, food containers, inflight entertainment, and souvenir bags. All Nippon Airways reported that its Pok\u00e9mon promotional livery resulted in a marked increase in the number of passengers carried.<\/p>\n

Fast & Fizzy \u2013 Air France<\/h2>\n

\"Air<\/p>\n

In 1996, Air France briefly painted F-BTSD in a predominantly blue livery, with the exception of the wings, in a promotional deal with Pepsi. In this paint scheme, Air France<\/a> were advised to remain at Mach 2 for no more than 20 minutes at a time, but there was no restriction at speeds under Mach 1.7. F-BTSD was used because it was not scheduled for any long flights that required extended Mach 2 operations. Of course, Concorde last took to the skies in 2003; eventually retiring due to rising maintenance costs and low passenger demand.<\/p>\n

SWISS Flower Power<\/h2>\n

\"SWISS<\/p>\n

In an effort to tap into the San Francisco groove, Zurich based SWISS<\/a> came up with this flower power peace livery to connect with their customers on a deeper level. The A340 wearing the hippy flower child livery first graced the skies in 2010, and the adhesive foil used to decorate the fuselage covered an area of more than 300 square metres! The printing time for the foil alone took several days; thereafter it was transported by truck from Toulouse to Zurich Airport, where a team of eight people spent three days applying it to the fuselage.<\/p>\n

Airline becomes Bearline \u2013 Germanwings<\/h2>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

Bearliner, Bearbus; can you think of any more puns for this Germanwings<\/a> Airbus A319 dubbed \u2018The Berlin Bear\u2019? In an effort to promote tourism to Berlin (a bear is Berlin’s coat of arms), the A319 carried this special scheme from May 2005 to January 2011.<\/p>\n

Etihad Accelerates to the Starting Grid<\/h2>\n

\"Etihad<\/p>\n

Etihad\u2019s<\/a> checkered flag livery on their Airbus A340-600 transformed the plane into something as sleek as the F1 racecars it was promoting. The shaded background (from white through red to black) showed a checkered flag motif on its tail to support the airlines high profile involvement with the first ever Abu Dhabi Formula-1 Grand Prix in 2009.<\/p>\n

Midair Pandamonium \u2013 British Airways<\/h2>\n

\"British<\/p>\n

In a cutesy publicity stunt, this British Airways Boeing 777-200 was given a panda face to celebrate the launch of flights between Heathrow and Chengdu, China in 2013. The region is best known for its extremely rare Giant Pandas \u2013 the obvious inspiration behind this British Airways livery makeover.<\/p>\n

Lufthansa Football Fever \u2013 The Only Airborne Disease You\u2019d Ever Want<\/h2>\n

\"Lufthansa<\/p>\n

By now most of you will know Germany emerged as the undisputed champions of a hard-won and exciting 2014 FIFA World Cup, and what better way to bring the cup home than Fanhansa<\/em>. A total of eight aircraft in the Lufthansa<\/a> fleet swapped their familiar lettering for the temporarily updated \u2018Fanhansa\u2019 logo. It was the first time that Lufthansa changed its name on the fuselage of some its aircraft since commencing operations almost 60 years ago.<\/p>\n

Air Blacks \u2013 Air New Zealand<\/h2>\n

\"Air<\/p>\n

The pride and glory of New Zealand, the All Blacks, were given a flying monument to their achievements on the world rugby stage when the national carrier branded their Boeing 787 in full All Black regalia. The aircraft\u2019s paint job is overlaid with a design featuring New Zealand\u2019s distinctive silver fern that extends across the rear of the aircraft up to its tail.<\/p>\n

Flying Fish on the Salmon-Thirty-Salmon \u2013 Alaska Airlines<\/h2>\n

\"Alaska<\/p>\n

To emphasize Alaska Airlines\u2019 role in delivering Alaskan Salmon (they are the biggest air cargo company doing it) to the United States and Europe, the carrier dressed one of their 737 Next Generation fleet in a giant salmon livery. The name of the aircraft is a word play \u2026 instead of Seven-Thirty-Seven they called it Salmon-Thirty-Salmon.<\/p>\n

21st<\/sup> Shenanigans at 36 000 Feet \u2013 Virgin Atlantic<\/h2>\n

\"Virgin<\/p>\n

Virgin Atlantic<\/a> changed its livery, enlarging one of its \u2018flying ladies\u2019 and placing her on the tail to celebrate the airline\u2019s coming of age and 21st birthday in 2005. The Scarlet Lady, a.k.a. Lady Penelope<\/em>, was given a curvier figure and moved to the rear of the aircraft, a Boeing 747\u2013400, and the aircraft was temporarily renamed \u2018Birthday Girl\u2019. She holds a glass of champagne toasting the airlines 21 years. The Flying Lady was inspired by the famous Varga girls whose images graced an entire generation of British and American military aircraft during and after the Second World War.<\/p>\n

Flying 101 \u2013 Kulula<\/h2>\n

\"Kulula<\/p>\n

Possibly Kulula\u2019s most revered marketing stunt, the Flying 101 infographic<\/a> plane caught the eye of aviation enthusiasts worldwide for a simple idea executed brilliantly. The Movember<\/em><\/a> moustache that was added in November 2010 was a nice enhancement too.<\/p>\n

Aircraft Livery Gold Medalist \u2013 SAA<\/h2>\n

\"SAA<\/p>\n

Those of us born pre-1990 won\u2019t soon forget the South African Airways<\/a> plane which transported our athletes to the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta. A colourful and memorable statement from a nation just waking up to a new era of liberation, the Boeing 747-300 dubbed Ndizani<\/em>, was a symbol of the rainbow nation and a delight to plane spotters across the globe.<\/p>\n

Boeing Boomerang \u2013 Qantas<\/h2>\n

\"Qantas<\/p>\n

The plane pictured here, Qantas\u2019 Boeing 737-800, features an Uluru <\/em>depiction by Australian indigenous artist Rene Kulitja. This aircraft forms part of 5 planes in Qantas\u2019 fleet which were given Aboriginal art treatments, originally to observe the International Year of the World’s Indigenous People in 1993. Named Yananyi Dreaming<\/em> and launched in 2002; this particular aircraft was repainted into Qantas corporate livery in September 2014.<\/p>\n

Which Way uP? \u2013 Kulula<\/h2>\n

\"Kulula<\/p>\n

Never one to shy away from the brighter side of life, Kulula<\/a> reminds its passengers and pilots which way is up \u2026 just in case its Flying 101<\/em> identity isn\u2019t enough.<\/p>\n

Hello Kitty \u2013 EVA Air<\/h2>\n

\"EVA<\/p>\n

In 2012 Taiwanese airline EVA Air decorated the exteriors of three of their planes with the image of cartoon cat character Hello Kitty<\/em>. The fleets of A330-300 Airbuses feature the iconic feline waving her magic wand, sprinkling shining stars and heralding the start of a happy journey. In addition to the aircraft livery design, passengers flying on liveried planes are treated to EVA Air employees sporting Hello Kitty gear at a bright pink check-in counter, while boarding passes, baggage tickets and identification are also covered in the cute Saniro<\/em> character\u2019s likeness. Inside the plane passengers are seated in chairs with headrests and pillows also picturing the face of the cartoon cat.<\/p>\n

Scoring Goals in the Clouds \u2013 Turkish Airlines<\/h2>\n

\"Turkish<\/p>\n

To mark the sponsorship agreement between Turkish Airlines<\/a> and FC Barcelona, a Boeing 777-300ER with the badge and squad of the Spanish football club began gracing runways in 2012; the Barcelona branded aircraft was the official sponsor and carrier of the club between 2010 and 2013.<\/p>\n

Aces High \u2013 Astraeus Airlines<\/h2>\n

\"Iron<\/p>\n

Astraeus Airlines branded up one of its planes for Iron Maiden\u2019s Final Frontier tour in 2011 and called it \u2018Ed Force One\u2019. As if that wasn\u2019t impressive enough, lead vocalist Bruce Dickinson is an experienced airline pilot, flying the group around with their heavy metal paint scheme.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re Going To Disneyland\u201d \u2013 Alaska Airlines<\/h2>\n

\"AlaskaTwo aircraft in Alaska Airlines\u2019 fleet, the “Spirit of Disneyland II” and the “Magic of Disneyland,” feature well-known Disney characters in tribute to the airline’s long-term partnership with the Disneyland\u00ae Resort.<\/p>\n

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