Icelandair glacier plane: New designed Boeing 757-200 aircraft inspired by Europe's largest ice cap

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This was published 6 years ago

Icelandair glacier plane: New designed Boeing 757-200 aircraft inspired by Europe's largest ice cap

By Soo Kim
Updated
Ice-cool: The interior of Icelandair's Vatnajökull.

Ice-cool: The interior of Icelandair's Vatnajökull.Credit: Icelandair

Complete with an ice cave-like cabin interior and a hand-painted livery bearing the image of a glacier, Icelandair has unveiled a newly designed Boeing 757-200 aircraft inspired by Europe's largest ice cap.

The airline's Vatnajökull plane, named after the glacier of the same name, features an icy, electric blue-coloured LED lighting system in the main cabin and a "glacier soundtrack" to "create the right atmosphere", while the headrests on the seats have been decorated in white and turquoise hues.​

The plane's drinks trolley has been made into a "mini ice cave" while cups, napkins, and sick bags have also been decorated in glacier prints. All of Icelandair's aircraft are named after an Icelandic volcano, but the Vatnajökull, launched to celebrate the airline's 80th anniversary, is the only one named after a glacier. It was designed by the team behind Icelandair's Hekla Aurora, the Northern Lights-inspired aircraft released in 2015.

An Icelandair Boeing 757-200 with a new livery depicting the Vatnajokull glacier in Iceland.

An Icelandair Boeing 757-200 with a new livery depicting the Vatnajokull glacier in Iceland.Credit: AP

The Vatnajökull plane is in normal circulation and passengers can also request to fly in one through the airline's website where they can see it's latest available routes. The UK routes on which it is most likely to operate include Glasgow, Manchester, Birmingham, London Heathrow and Gatwick. It will also serve other European routes as well as North American ones.

Spanning an area of around 8200 square-kilometres and a volume of 3300 cubic-kilometres, the Vatnajökull covers eight per cent of Iceland's land mass, with its thickest point being around 1,000 metres thick. It is Europe's largest glacier according to volume and is one of the seven natural wonders of Europe.​

With three active volcanoes sitting beneath it (Öræfajökull, Báròarbunga and Grímsvötn), the Vatnajökull has seen around 60 eruptions over the last 800 years.

Icelandair's Hekla Aurora, the Northern Lights-inspired aircraft released in 2015.

Icelandair's Hekla Aurora, the Northern Lights-inspired aircraft released in 2015.Credit: Icelandair

Born of fire and ice, and littered with glacial lagoons filled with icebergs, the glacier forms part of Vatnajökull National Park. The dramatic surrounding area of Vatnajökull has been featured in several films, including two James Bond movies, as well as Tomb Raider and Batman Begins.

The Telegraph, London

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