The Virgin Atlantic 747 That Promoted Multiple Movie Franchises

While an aircraft as big as the Boeing 747 is already a stunning sight, a special livery can make it even more outstanding. Over the years, several airlines have unveiled special liveries for various reasons, including promoting movies and events or supporting a sports team they sponsor.

Virgin Atlantic’s Boeing 747s have worn special liveries in the past. One particular aircraft, registered as G-VLIP, featured two special liveries throughout its lifetime. The jumbo promoted some of the world’s most famous movie franchises until its early retirement in 2020. Let us look at the aircraft’s remarkable history.

The Wizarding World of Harry Potter

May 2010 – February 2011

G-VLIP spent its entire career with Virgin Atlantic, operating high-density flights across the Atlantic. According to ATDB.aero, the aircraft first flew in April 2001 before being delivered to Virgin Atlantic the following month. It received its first special livery in May 2010, featuring the Harry Potter franchise.

Virgin Atlantic teamed up with Universal Orlando and Virgin Holidays to promote The Wizarding World of Harry Potter ahead of its grand opening at Universal Orlando’s Islands of Adventure in June 2010. The jet did not undergo significant transformation as most of the fuselage still featured the traditional Virgin Atlantic colors.

Still, promotional liveries can add an interesting splash of color to a standard paint scheme. As it happens, the timing of the livery also coincided with the release of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1. This was the seventh of the franchise’s eight films, and it hit the big screen in November 2010, grossing $977.1 million and becoming the third-highest-grossing movie of 2010 and the third-highest-grossing Harry Potter film.

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Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge

September 2019 – March 2020

After the Harry Potter livery was removed in February 2011, the “Queen of the Skies” went for several years wearing the traditional Virgin Atlantic colors. However, one popular movie franchise was not enough for G-VLIP. In September 2019, it received another special livery featuring the iconic Millenium Falcon from Star Wars.

Once owned by the legendary Han Solo, the Millennium Falcon played a critical role in some of the greatest victories of the Rebel Alliance and the New Republic. With the 747’s incredible history, the ship looked right at home on the aircraft’s fuselage. Virgin Atlantic also renamed the aircraft from “Hot Lips” to “The Falcon.”

Photo: Vincenzo Pace | Simple Flying

The plane was responsible for flying passengers from London Gatwick Airport (LGW) to Orlando to experience Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, a new land adventure that opened at Walt Disney World. To commemorate the new adventure, Virgin Holidays launched The Ultimate Virgin Holidays Star Wars Experience, which included return flights between London and Orlando, access to Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge an hour before opening, as well as a chance to meet Star Wars characters.

Retirement of the Boeing 747

The Millenium Falcon livery stayed on G-VLIP until its retirement from Virgin Atlantic’s fleet in 2020. Unfortunately, the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic expedited the retirement of Virgin Atlantic’s 747s, which no longer play a role in the airline’s operations. ATDB.aero shows that G-VLIP was parked on March 18, 2020.

After storage periods in Spain and the UK, G-VLIP ended up further afield. Since December 2020, the jumbo has been stored in Marana, Arizona. Data from Flightradar24 shows that it first flew from London Heathrow to Las Vegas on December 10 before continuing to an indefinite stay in the desert the following day. During its entire career, the majestic aircraft accrued 92,658 flight hours across 11,830 flight cycles.

Star Wars liveries on other planes

With Star Wars’ global reach, there have been a number of other special Star Wars liveries in different parts of the world. In fact, two other aircraft, a LATAM 777 and an Alaska Airlines 737, were painted with elements from the franchise to commemorate the opening of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge. The LATAM 777 featured a Storm Trooper on the tail section, while the Alsaka 737 featured the Millenium Falcon.

Photo: Robin Guess | Shutterstock

Japan’s All Nippon Airways currently has two aircraft with Star Wars-themed liveries. One of its Boeing 777s, registration JA743A, is based on C-3PO, while a Boeing 787, registration JA873A, is based on R2-D2. However, one of the most iconic Star Wars liveried jets was the United Airlines 737, painted space black with a blue representation of The Resistance on one side and a red representation of the First Order on the other.

Did you ever see G-VLIP with either of its promotional liveries applied? Perhaps you even flew on it? Please share your thoughts and experiences in the comments!