On Monday, British Airways debuted another heritage livery in celebration of their centennial.
G-EUPJ, an Airbus A319, joins G-BYGC, a Boeing 747-400 as the second British Airways jet to fly in heritage colors. G-BYGC was unveiled in February and is currently operating in the classic BOAC livery.
Excited spotters lined the perimeter fence at Heathrow as G-EUPJ touched down adorned with the vintage, eye-grabbing “Red Square” British European Airways (BEA) livery.
The Red Square livery was used by BEA between 1959 and 1968, primarily on domestic and European routes. BEA operated from 1946 until 1974 when they merged with BOAC to form the modern day British Airways.
The original Red Square livery included the BEA red cube logo on the tail and a thick black cheatline running the entire length of the fuselage. Its most noticeable and perhaps most iconic feature was the red-painted upper wing.
G-EUPJ began service wearing her new colors this afternoon with a flight to Manchester. According to British Airways, G-EUPJ will operate on routes throughout the United Kingdom and Europe, keeping the BEA colors until the jet is retired in 2020.
