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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Since its launch in 1996, AirAsia has revolutionized air travel in Asia, growing to become one of the largest low-cost airlines in the world. From the early beginnings at a very basic terminal at Kuala Lumpur International Airport, it has now grown to become a behemoth with over 250 aircraft, serving 166 destinations in 25 countries and operating subsidiaries in Cambodia, Indonesia, the Philippines and Thailand.
And last month in Bangkok, AirAsia unveiled a new special livery to celebrate 50 years of diplomatic relationships between Thailand and China. The commemoration shows how AirAsia has become part of the economies of the countries where it is based: the aircraft will be deployed on routes all throughout Asia as a symbol of AirAsia’s commitment towards strengthening regional connectivity.
This brand-new design showcases the number “50” portrayed, blending together two legendary creatures – China’s dragon and Thailand’s naga – representing strength, prosperity and enduring friendship, said AirAsia in a press release. Then a warm greeting in both Thai and Chinese is painted all across the fuselage in a symbolic gesture of goodwill across Asian skies.
Mr. Santisuk Klongchaiya, CEO of Thai AirAsia, said: “Thailand and China share a long-standing relationship across many dimensions, especially in tourism, where both countries are top destinations for each other’s travelers. With mutual visa exemptions now in place, travel between the two nations has become even more seamless. China remains one of AirAsia’s key markets, and we are proud to serve a wide network of routes covering both major and secondary cities.”
AirAsia currently operates the most direct routes from Thailand to China, flying to 10 popular destinations: Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Chongqing, Changsha, Wuhan, Kunming, Hangzhou, Xi’an, Chengdu, and Shanghai.
High-Density Seating Configuration
The Airbus A320 used for this display carries the callsign HS-BBR and was delivered new to AirAsia on July 21, 2015, through the leasing company Avalon. It is one of the 69 Airbus A320 aircraft in AirAsia’s all-Airbus fleet, and it is configured in a standard all-economy 180-seat configuration, similar to the configuration of other ultra low-cost airlines around the world such as Wizzair and easyJet.
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