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.
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Latvian national carrier, airBaltic, has unveiled its incoming special livery aircraft.
Following an open contest launched by the airline in late 2023, 840 entries for the livery of the 50th aircraft were submitted. The mentioned prize, aside from the design traveling around the world portrayed on an airplane, was said to be 3,000 EUR (3,100 USD) credit to be used on airBaltic services.
The airline shortlisted 21 designs for the vote, but disclaimed to select one of the top three by the popular vote. More than 28,000 airBaltic Club loyalty members placed their bids, with the selected design getting more than 30% of the votes total.
A Proud Moment
For a small airline, the waves airBaltic sends into the aviation world are quite significant. The coming special livery is a testimony to its national and regional heritage and will be displayed on an airplane that in itself a significant milestone for the carrier, as well as for the manufacturer.
As the global launch customer of the Airbus A220-300, airBaltic is showcasing the performance and viability the jet is delivering. Given the geographical proximity, the airline is time after time throwing a gauntlet for its low-cost fierce competitors like Ryanair, Wizzair, or Norwegian.
For the Latvian carrier, this aircraft is only a midpoint on its current path to reaching a fleet of 100 aircraft by 2030.
Martin Gauss, President and CEO of airBaltic: “More than eight years ago, we became the global launch operator of the Airbus A220-300, and over the years, this aircraft type has become the backbone of our operations. This milestone aircraft marks the completion of our initial aircraft order and brings us halfway to our goal of operating a single-type fleet of 100 A220-300s and doubling in size by 2030.”
“airBaltic continues to lead the aviation industry in the Baltics, and with this rich culture in mind, we wanted the livery to reflect a glimpse of all the beauty the three Baltic nations have to offer. Every time this aircraft will take to the skies, it will proudly carry a small part of the Baltic spirit with it,” Gauss added.
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