The Wonderful World Of 100th Anniversary Airline Liveries

100 years is a long time for an airline; we see in today’s aviation space that newcomers arrive quickly and shut down quickly; however, for many legacy carriers, some have already achieved and surpassed their centenary. Carriers such as British Airways, Finnair, Qantas, and KLM have applied celebratory liveries to some of their most famous aircraft. With this, Simple Flying looked into what travelers can be treated to if they’re booked on one of these planes.

Going back over 100 years, it takes us to 1903, an important milestone in aviation; on December 17, the Wright brothers inaugurated the aerial age with their first successful flight in North Carolina, with the Kitty Hawk. Following this, almost two decades later, airlines were born and took to the air, and some of these iconic carriers are still around today. Let’s look into some of them:

Finnair

Founded November 1, 1923

The Finish Flag Carrier is the largest full-service airline in Finland; with over 100 domestic and international destinations combined, it is the sixth oldest airline in continuous operation. A partner of the oneworld alliance, the carrier has over 80 aircraft and is continuously listed as one of the safest airlines to fly.

Last year, to celebrate its 100th birthday, the airline donned a special livery on one of its Airbus A350 aircraft. The plane features iconic characters from the Moomins, a Finnish publication. The airline incorporated these characters into the new livery as they symbolize Finnish culture. The airline has maintained a close relationship with the Moomins publication company for years.

Finnair’s latest livery is meant to do more than just spread awareness of the airline’s legacy; it is also meant to help spread Finnish culture. The livery will feature two characters from the Moomins, Moomintroll and Snorkmaiden. The characters will be on the fuselage behind the wings near the airplane’s tail.

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Qantas

Founded November 16, 1920

The flying kangaroo, which has connected Australia to the world since the 1920s, is the largest carrier by fleet size, international flights, and destinations across Oceania. The airline was a founding member of the Oneworld alliance and is considered the only airline in the world to fly to all seven continents. The airline frequently operates special charter flights over the frozen continent to view the southern lights.

Technically, it is the third oldest airline and the oldest in the English-speaking world. The airline gained the Qantas acronym from its original name, the Queensland and Northern Territory Aerial Services, to which it primarily first served just these two Australian states.

To celebrate the airline’s centenary, its then-newest Boeing 787 Dreamliner was named Longreach, the birthplace of Australian aviation, and featured a special livery to reflect the airline’s past, present, and future. The design of this aircraft was a nod to the airline’s heritage and featured a dynamic red curve inspired by the carrier’s branding.

KLM Royal Dutch Airlines

Founded October 7, 1919

The Dutch flag carrier, more commonly known as KLM, is the English translation of its official name, Koninklijke Luchtvaart Maatschappij N.V., The airline, is based in Amstelveen, near its home at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, one of the busiest airports in Europe. The airline is a SkyTeam alliance member and remains the oldest airline operating worldwide and the oldest to have held its original name. In 2019, the airline celebrated 100 years in service, and to celebrate the centenary, the carrier debuted its first Boeing 787-10 aircraft in a special livery:

For the airline’s 100th birthday, the airline even released a neat video featuring several iconic Dutch homes lit up to celebrate the centenary of the nation’s flag carrier.

Fast-forward 100 years from the airline’s inception, and today, the airline has a fleet of over 110 aircraft, from turboprop to widebody. The airline serves 164 destinations across Europe and the globe, operating an extensive network to Asia, Africa, Europe, and North and South America. Interestingly, the carrier is a primary long-haul carrier to the Caribbean and South America, serving many Dutch-speaking Caribbean countries and territories, including Sint Maarten, Aruba, Curacao, and Suriname.

British Airways

Founded August 25, 1919

The United Kingdom’s flag carrier’s history started in 1919 with Aircraft Transport and Travel Limited. It eventually landed with British Airways in 1974, and today, the carrier is the second largest airline based on fleet size in the United Kingdom, only behind low-cost-carrier easyJet. The airline merged with Spanish carrier Iberia in 2011 and created the International Airlines Group. This group now holds Aer Lingus, LEVEL, Vueling, Avios, and their subsidiaries.

For the airline’s centenary, it decided to don four retro liveries to mark the evolution of the British carrier. Three of these liveries were on the iconic Boeing 747 aircraft, which has since been retired.

Alex Cruz, former British Airways Chairman and CEO, reiterated the excitement of launching these liveries at the time they took flight:

“The excitement and pride that we’ve witnessed from customers and colleagues as these heritage liveries, which we painted to mark our centenary have flown around the globe has been unparalleled.”

Rounding out the four special liveries, was on a Airbus A319, which sported the BEA livery, this aircraft was deployed on short flights to domestic and European destinations such as Newcastle, Edinburgh, Milan and Amsterdam.

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