Airlines around the world occasionally swap their standard designs for special liveries that celebrate everything from national pride and cultural icons to sports teams, movies, and historic milestones. These unique designs are often colorful, intricate, and instantly recognizable, making them fan favorites and must-see sights for aviation enthusiasts. Whether it’s a The Hobbit or a Star Wars-themed aircraft, a livery honoring a country’s heritage, or a plane decorated with vibrant artwork, these special liveries add excitement to the skies. With so many creative designs to choose from, we’d love to know: What’s your favorite airline special livery of all time, and why?
81 Responses
The Spirit of Hong Kong special livery series by Cathay Pacific. Extremely unfortunate it got discontinued.
Yea
The Alaska Airlines salmon.
It has to be Royal Jordanian followed by Air Baltic for it he simplicity and in certain light, Etihad.
the KLM orange/blue livery
Wunala Dreaming!
Absolutely. Without doubt the best livery ever.
Whoever decided to put Hello Kitty on EVA Air is a genius. 🙂
“Rackham” the Tintin livery on Brussels Airlines A320 OO-SNB
BRITISH AIRWAYS…very beautiful
BRITISH AIRWAYS….very beautiful…
ANA Pokemon 747
The better one is the Star Wars
No Pokémon is the beeeesssssttttt
Air New Zealand ”The Hobbit” livery is my all time favorite.
Qantas on their 747’s Wunala Dreaming- the red one. There was also a Blue one but can’t remember that name..
https://www.qantas.com › au › en › about-us › our-company › fleet › flying-art.html
Flying Art Series – Qantas
Wunala Dreaming was digitalised on computer and magnified 100 times to generate 2km of blotting paper. The 67 patterns, including 1,324 irregular dots were then traced onto the plane. The aircraft initially flew from 1994-2003 (VH-OJB, 747-438), then on a new aircraft from 2003-2011: wunala. https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Ftse4.mm.bing.net%2Fth%3Fid%3DOIP.72IC1ozhLA_EAUl8rrGHWAHaEz%26pid%3DApi&f=1&ipt=a4d5a0bd0287bbaa7ab85d38c441d5968895d8f5c019d2baf5bd05f46e598f06&ipo=images https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Ftse2.mm.bing.net%2Fth%3Fid%3DOIP.QyHZjbFPHt_3ofy_o-77VwHaEK%26pid%3DApi&f=1&ipt=24b02ce6dba85f82801a4890dfe61d9447a912d64fa240573d0472f4126fb21d&ipo=images
SkyUp airlines shakhtar livery
The Hawaiian Moana livery
Etihad B787-10 Tom & Jerry Livery (A6-BMA)
Sichuan airlines panda livery
The old fantasia WestJet plane. Which has now been repainted 🙁
All icelandair 757 liveries.
Qantas 1970’s with the kangaroo with wings.
Royal Jordanian very classy. Braniff Calder modern art. Tower Air simple design.
Malaysia Airlines The Malayan Tiger Livery Very Cooooollll,🐯🥶
Malaysia Airlines The Malayan Tiger Livery Very Cooooollll,🐯🥶
@J absolutely! Above all TF-FIU „Hekla Aurora“ with it’s aurora borealis livery 🤩
Any discussion of aircraft liveries would be incomplete without a mention of the old “Flying Colors” of long-gone Braniff International. Having grown up under the approach to EWR Runway 4, as a youngster I witnessed a litany of eminently simple, but highly visible
BI liveries.
The Calder liveries were the best.
The Qatar Airways Boeing 777 “Barça, a team that unites the world,” livery. But their retro livery and PSG livery are also cool. Aer Lingus’s a320 rugby livery is also well decorated.
The 1969 Alitalia livery, especially the tail.
Delta LA28 A350-900
I vote for the CP Air flying goose logo. It was magnificent.
Alitalia – Baci B747
Pan Am 707’s DC-8’s from the sixties.
Alaska Airlines Salmon Thirty Salmon
Salmon-thirty-salmon
AGE vorrei vedere un aeromobile con le ali dipinte come se fossero delle piume di aquila.
Singapore Airlines a380 and B787 8 Max
Condor’s A330s catch the eye as well
https://www.businesstraveller.com/business-travel/2022/04/09/the-big-picture-condor-unveils-new-striped-livery/
British Airways A320Neo (G-TTNA)
Etihad A320Neo (A6-EJB)
united airlines 747 tulip
ANA’s Pokémon PEACE JET 777 (JA754A)
Alaska Air. Salmon
Icelandair Hekla Aurora!
emirates see you in dubai
The Northwest Orient scheme of the late 70’s 80’s…..
British Airways A319-131 (G-EUPD).
Its a beauty!!!
Love it!
QANTAS Wunala Dreaming and Wunala B747-438 liveries have been already mentioned, so I’ll vote for the QANTAS Nalanji Dreaming. The livery was flown on the 747-338 Classic VH-EBU.
https://www.planespotters.net/photo/1464007/vh-ebu-qantas-boeing-747-338
Always this favorite livery that represents true United Airlines as it should be and their most popular plane –
https://www.airliners.net/photo/United-Airlines/Boeing-747-422/2360001
I wholeheartedly agree with Kathy, Michael, et al, above: Wunala Dreaming on Qantas.
Besides that, I’m quite fond of the current AF-1 ;- )
Etihad Manchester city!!
I’ve always liked Southwest state flag planes but my favorite of those was either Colorado or Tennessee
Defiantly the Orange Pride. (777-300ER; Reg: PH-BVA)
Flew on it Sep 16/17th from Amsterdam (AMS) to Calgary (YYC) on KL677
Such a beauty!!!
the new delta airlines 100 years livery.
link: https://www.planespotters.net/photo/1710628/f-wznk-delta-air-lines-airbus-a350-941
KLM’s Orange Pride, without doubt.
East African Airways on their Super VC10s. Made the aircraft look even more graceful.
„Siegerflieger Fanhansa“ from Lufthansa 2014 bringing home the FIFA Football Champion Team to Germany ⚽️
Southwest Airlines California One
Rakham from Brussels Airlines
Equatoriana in the 70s!!
Air New Zealand Hobbit
Air New Zealand Rugby World 1999
My personal favorite is the Icelandair Hekla Aurora
I like the BA Better World A320 livery bc the blue reminds me of a non special air Canada livery, which is their old livery (the one that looks like toothpaste)
Ana green turtle livery is the best because of the vibe🙂
China Southern World Skills Shanghai 2022 because of its cultural significance, vibrant colors, and, well, just coolness. 🙂
Minyma Kutjara Tjukurpa for Quantas
Or the Orange Pride on the KLM 777
The Aerlingus rugby livery
The Flying Tiger Lines DC-8’s with broken stripes/arrow head down the fuselage and BIG
Circle T on tail. Similar on some of the B747’s or the red and blue angle strips on fuselage. Circle T on tail. Great looking airplanes. A few had the shark nose. The paint jobs made them look massive.
I’d say that the Lufthansa Retro Livery on the 747 is very good. Retro liveries are the best.
Chico Bento on Gol Airlines.
The Qantas planes already mentioned. I flew on all of them when in service and they looked spectacular.
1970s National Airlines of Miami – the big sun on the tail was great!
The Air India Taj Mahal around the windows was really good I thought
ASA’s “Salmon Thirty Salmon”
Pour moi, la défunte British Caledonian, et l’actuel Vietnam Airlines.
Has to be Korean Air and ANA in my opinion. Especially the A380.
The BEA liveried A319, G-EUPJ. Simplicity, and not an advertising hoarding as most are these days.
BOAC or BEA.
Classy unlike the modern schemes
Westjet Disney movie themed 737’s!