British Airway Boeing 747 jumbo jet to be painted in 1960s livery

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This was published 5 years ago

British Airway Boeing 747 jumbo jet to be painted in 1960s livery

By Ben Mutzabaugh
Updated
The British Airways jumbo will be braned BOAC - for the airline's previous name British Overseas Airways Corporation.

The British Airways jumbo will be braned BOAC - for the airline's previous name British Overseas Airways Corporation.Credit: Getty

British Airways will paint one of its Boeing 747-400s in a retro livery that dates to the 1960s -- part of an effort to commemorate its 100th birthday.

The company also revealed plans to paint other planes in vintage schemes, but -- for now -- would say only that "more details of further designs (would) be revealed in due course."

The 747 due to get the first makeover will be painted in the "much-admired design" of British Airways' predecessor company, British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC). The BOAC paint scheme being applied to the plane was in use from 1964 through 1974.

The design for the plane's livery.

The design for the plane's livery.

The aircraft -- registration number G-BYGC -- is expected to leave a Dublin, Ireland, paint shop with its new look on Feb. 18. The jet will then enter service a day later, with British Airways noting "this coincides with the 50th anniversary of the first Boeing 747 flight only a few days earlier."

All new aircraft entering the carrier's fleet will continue to get British Airways' current design, but CEO Alex Cruz said applying the retro liveries to some existing aircraft was a way to acknowledge the airline's storied history.

"So many British Airways customers and colleagues have fond memories of our previous liveries, regularly sharing their photos from across the globe, so it's incredibly exciting to be re-introducing this classic BOAC design," he said in a statement, referring to the 747 set to receive the BOAC scheme. "Our history has shaped who we are today, so our centenary is the perfect moment to revisit our heritage and the UK's aviation landscape through this iconic livery."

British Airways' current 747 livery.

British Airways' current 747 livery.

British Airways says that 747 "has been deliberately chosen for the BOAC livery as it is a later variant of the same aircraft type that adorned the design when it was initially in operation."

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The jet will fly with the retro livery until 2023, when it is slated for retirement as part of British Airways' broader effort to phase the 747 out of its fleet. The airline has about three dozen 747s now, but all are expected to be retired by early 2024.

The airline says the 747s are being replaced "with new state-of-the-art long-haul aircraft. This includes taking delivery of 18 A350s and 12 Boeing 787 Dreamliners in the next four year."

One of Qantas' two 'Retro Roo' planes featuring classic livery.

One of Qantas' two 'Retro Roo' planes featuring classic livery.

As for British Airways' centennial celebration, the company traces its history back to 1919, when "forerunner company, Aircraft Transport and Travel Limited (AT&T), launched the world's first daily international scheduled air service between London and Paris."

It's not the first airline to go retro. Qantas famously flies two "Retro Roos" featuring livery from earlier era in the carrier's history. Retro Roo features the livery of 1971-1984, while Retro Roo II, launched in 2015, has the same livery featured on Boeing 707 jets from 1959 to 1961.

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