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.
Taiwanese carrier Starlux this week unveiled plans for futuristic gold and silver aircraft liveries that it hopes to have in the air by summer.
The airline is partnering with Japanese artist Hajime Sorayama on the project, dubbed “AIRSORAYAMA” by Starlux. Sorayama is known for his highly detailed and sometimes erotic illustrations, which prominently feature metallic elements.
The effort, about three years in the making, was formally announced in Tokyo on Tuesday.
Two Airbus A350-1000 aircraft will be coated with high-concentration mica color shades, one gold with silver accents, and the other silver with gold accents. Multi-coating techniques will give the airplanes the layered, fluid appearance of liquid metal, officials said.
The off-color accents will be on the belly of the aircraft, and are meant to give the jets a shark-like appearance, in keeping with a famous Sorayama motif.
The two aircraft are named Starlux AIRSORAYAMA Silver (B-58553) and Starlux AIRSORAYAMA Gold (B-58554). They are expected to enter service in the third quarter of this year.
“What we sought was to bring warmth and beauty into the flying experience,” Starlux Chairman K.W. Chang said in a news release. “Sorayama-sensei’s creations embody futurism and breathe emotion into the metal, mirroring the precision and care behind aviation itself.”
The coating was developed in collaboration with Airbus and coatings manufacturer Mankiewicz.
Looking for a new airplane model? Head over to our friends at the Midwest Model Store for a wide selection of airlines and liveries.
