Editor’s Note: AirlineGeeks is proud to present our ‘Livery of the Week’ series. Every Friday, a team member will share an airline livery, which can be from the past, present, or even a special scheme. Some airline liveries are works of art. The complexity associated with painting around critical flight components and the added weight requires outside-the-box thinking from designers. The average airliner can cost upwards of $200,000 to repaint, creating a separate aircraft repainting industry as a result.
Have an idea for a livery that we should highlight? Drop us a line.
Delta officially revealed its newest Airbus A350 aircraft featuring a custom Team USA livery design on Thursday. The unveiling ceremony, which was held at Airbus’ facility in Toulouse, France, marks another milestone in Delta’s eight-year partnership with the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC), extending through the 2028 Los Angeles Games. The aircraft is registered as N522DZ.
The aircraft design, created by Delta’s internal design team, celebrates the carrier’s commitment to Team USA athletes. It features a prominent “Team USA” inscription alongside a red, white, and blue color scheme.
The livery incorporates elements from the Beijing 2022 Winter Games design while hinting at features to come for Paris 2024 and beyond. Notably, the jet stream design from the Beijing livery has been transformed into the shape of the Eiffel Tower, symbolizing the upcoming Paris Games.
Employees Present at Delivery Event
For the first time, Delta’s Chairman’s Club honorees, a group of the airline’s top 100 employees, were invited to witness the reveal. These employees, nominated by their peers and senior leaders, represent excellence across the airline. The 2023 honorees will be on the aircraft’s ferry flight to Atlanta.
“Unveiling the Team USA aircraft for the Olympic and Paralympic Games Paris 2024 marks a major milestone for Delta’s support of Team USA as we look toward the start of competition in just a few months,” said Delta’s Chief Marketing Officer Alicia Tillman in a press release. “This plane, designed by our in-house creative team, represents Delta’s commitment to Team USA and our partnership to elevate these athletes to reach their highest potential. As this plane flies around the world in the coming months and years, we hope it is seen as a symbol of hard work, dedication and the upward momentum to being the best that Team USA and Delta innately share.”
This paint scheme is the first special livery on one of Delta’s A350 aircraft. In 2021, the airline unveiled a special Olympics-themed livery in sponsorship of Team USA on an Airbus A330-900neo.
Looking for a new airplane model? Head over to our friends at the Midwest Model Store for a wide selection of airlines and liveries.
