Gallery: Special Liveries Promote Special Events, Causes

Building on the excitement and fervor for the return of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, Emirates Airline revealed its own themed A380 livery on Oct. 17, 2021, just in time for the kick off of one of the most hotly anticipated events in the world of sport, taking place for the first time in the UAE and Oman. After a game of mini-cricket, umpired by Indian international cricketer Shikhar Dhawan, the newly emblazoned aircraft was beckoned out as the “newest player” by him and over 100 Emirates Engineering employees, many of whom were involved in the installation of the special decal and form part of the nine cricket teams at the airline’s engineering center.

In a move aimed at projecting Jordan as an attractive tourist destination, Royal Jordanian placed Petra-inspired special livery on one of its Boeing 787 aircraft in October 2021 to promote the red-rose city of Petra, which is a unique landmark in Jordan and became an attractive destination for tourists of different nationalities and cultures.

Alaska Airlines celebrated the return of professional football in September 2021 with a special livery of Alaska’s chief football officer Russell Wilson, the Seattle-based airline’s fourth such livery. The Boeing 737-900ER was introduced to fans waiting for a flight from Seattle (SEA) to Indianapolis (IND), where Wilson was set to take the field in his first game this season.

Alaska Airlines launched a new livery symbolizing a commitment racial equity in education on a Boeing 737-900ER in April 2021though the company’s long-standing partnership with UNCF, an organization dedicated to enabling underrepresented students to become highly qualified college graduates. The aircraft features profiles of the next generation of leaders, the children, grandchildren and mentees of Alaska’s employees. The “Our Commitment” aircraft will fly throughout Alaska's network, to spread the word about UNCF and spark conversation around the importance of education, equity and representation.

In September 2021, Southwest Airlines joined Walt Disney World Resort with a special co-branded commemorative aircraft celebrating their 50th anniversary. The Boeing 737-700 features 50th anniversary logos of both Southwest Airlines and Walt Disney World Resort and is emblazoned with a unique EARidescent treatment created by Walt Disney World Resort for its milestone celebration. The aircraft will fly around the Southwest system through March 2022.

Emirates Airline has a long tradition of showcasing special liveries on its Airbus A380 and Boeing 777 fleet, and in the last five years alone, close to 50 unique designs and 100 liveries have been brought to life by the team at the airline. Emirates on Sept. 28, 2021 rolled out a Dubai Expo 2020 livery on an A380. This bright blue aircraft livery features large-scale graphics in vivid green, orange, pink, purple and red, which run across the fuselage and all the way up to the tail and fin interlaced with the distinct ring-shaped Expo 2020 Dubai logo. Special “Dubai Expo” and “Be Part of the Magic” messages run across both sides of the A380 fuselage. The engine cowls also carry the Expo 2020 Dubai messages and new dates of the event, which was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Expo 2020 Dubai is the first World Expo ever hosted in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia (MEASA) region, and will run from October 2021 to March 2022.

SpiceJet honored Indian actor and philanthropist Sonu Sood, who the airline said was a savior to a hundred thousand Indians during the pandemic, helping them reunite with their loved ones, feed their families and more. To recognize him, SpiceJet rolled out a Boeing 737 featuring a special livery of the famous local hero.

A Cargolux Airlines Boeing 747-8 received its own mask, reflecting the airline’s commitment to the fight against COVID-19. The words “Not Without My Mask” is written on the aircraft.

All Nippon Airways (ANA) Boeing 787-9 R2-D2 special livery is part of a series of Star Wars’ themed jets in the ANA Star Wars Project.

Etihad Airways painted a Formula One livery on a Boeing 787-9 to celebrate 10 years of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in the UAE Capital in November 2018.

Portuguese charter airline Hi Fly displays its “Turn the Tide on Plastic” special livery on an Airbus A330 to raise public awareness of plastic pollution in the world’s oceans.

A Qantas Boeing 787-9 displays 1991 artwork, called “Yam Dreaming,” by Emily Kame Kangwarreye as part of its Flying Art Series.

Japan Airlines (JAL) became a supporting partner for what was to be the 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games Tokyo this summer, which is now postponed to 2021 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. This livery—featuring official Tokyo 2020 mascots Miraitowa and Someity—is part of JAL’s “Fly for it” campaign on domestic routes.

Anticipating the now postponed 2020 Olympic summer games in Tokyo, Japan Airlines (JAL) had partnered with All Nippon Airways (ANA) to transport the Olympic flame throughout Japan. On March 20, the JAL Boeing 787-8 with a special livery began the Olympic Torch relay, which flew from Athens to Japan. Unfortunately, the COVID-19 pandemic has postponed the games until July 2021.

Delta Air Lines and Delta Connection carriers SkyWest and ASA celebrated the 2002 Winter Olympic Games in Salt Lake City. Boeing 777 Ship 7005 (N864DA) “The Soaring Spirit II” transported the Olympic flame from its home in Greece to the US. Its paint design featured images of Olympic Gold Medalist Bonnie Blair and Olympic athletes Duncan Kennedy and Ryan Heckman.

Etihad Airways, the official airline partner of Special Olympics World Games Abu Dhabi 2019, featured a special livery to promote the games, which took place in the nation’s capital in March 2019. The livery, on an Etihad Boeing 787-9, features four Special Olympics athletes: swimmer Omar Al Shami, runner Hamda Alhosani, and bowlers Saleh Almarri and Mariam Al Hosani.

Southwest Airlines, in partnership with Discovery Channel, launched a Shark Week fleet in July 2018 to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Shark Week.

Brazilian manufacturer Embraer painted a shark livery on its E190-E2 jet and sent it on a five-month global demonstration tour to 39 countries from July-December 2018. The aircraft landed at airports with several operational challenges, such as short runways, as in London City, and high altitudes, as in Tibet and Nepal. In addition, the aircraft visited remote places of the planet, such as Kiribati, in Oceania. The main objective was to demonstrate to airlines the features that make the E190-E2 a unique airplane in its category, according to Embraer.

Alaska Airlines unveiled a special-edition Boeing 737-800 livery in October 2019 that offers a whimsical tribute to Pixar Pier, a reimagined land at Disney California Adventure Park. A trio of familiar Pixar characters span both sides of the aircraft: Woody, Buzz Lightyear and Jessie of Toy Story fame. The plane is named “Friendship and Beyond at Disneyland Resort.”

Thai Airways unveiled a special livery of the Suphannahong Royal Barge on a Boeing 777-300 to commemorate the coronation of Thailand’s new King Maha Vajiralongkorn in 2019. The aircraft, royally bestowed the name “Lahan Sai,” is equipped 364 seats: 34 seats in Royal Silk Class and 330 seats in Economy Class. The aircraft has been operated on roundtrip flights from Bangkok-Seoul, Taipei, Beijing, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, and Sapporo to promote Thai culture worldwide.

United Airlines unveiled a Star Wars-themed paint design on a Boeing 737-800 in November 2019 to celebrate the epic conclusion of the Skywalker saga, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.

Aer Lingus introduced a special livery in 2015 saluting Irish Rugby team Green Spirit on an Airbus A320.

Delta Air Lines raised awareness of the fight against breast cancer on a Boeing 757, dubbed The Pink Plane.

A Eurowings Airbus A320 features a Europa Park livery, in partnership with the popular Germany theme park.

China Eastern Airlines introduced a Toy Story-themed livery on an Airbus A330, featuring Buzz Lightyear’s catchphrase, “To Infinity and Beyond,” in 2018.

Sichuan Airlines Airbus A350-900 special livery features playful pandas, which are native to the Sichuan province of China.