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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SriLankan Airlines’ standard livery is centered on a colorful bird emblem that has represented the carrier since its rebranding from Air Lanka in 1999. The design features sweeping red, orange, and green elements on the vertical stabilizer, creating a visual identity closely tied to Sri Lanka’s national colors and cultural heritage.
The tail logo is a modern interpretation of the peacock imagery historically associated with the airline. Air Lanka’s earlier branding also used a stylized peacock before the carrier adopted the SriLankan Airlines name following a strategic partnership with Emirates in the late 1990s.
The aircraft’s fuselage is predominantly white, with “SriLankan” titles displayed prominently along the forward section in dark blue and turquoise lettering. Rather than using a conventional cheatline, the livery relies on the combination of the colorful tail and large wordmark to create its primary visual identity.
Another distinguishing feature can be found underneath many of the airline’s aircraft. A blue treatment along the lower fuselage resembles the waters surrounding the island nation and has been paired with “Visit Sri Lanka” branding, reinforcing the airline’s connection to the country’s tourism sector.
The livery is used throughout SriLankan Airlines’ all-Airbus fleet, including Airbus A320-family aircraft and A330 widebodies. Despite differences in aircraft size and proportions, the colorful bird emblem and blue-accented branding remain consistent across the fleet.
The current visual identity dates back more than two decades. SriLankan unveiled the new branding with the arrival of an Airbus A340 in 1999, replacing the red-and-white Air Lanka scheme and establishing the core design elements that remain visible today.
While SriLankan Airlines has periodically added promotional decals and special liveries to individual aircraft, its standard scheme has remained largely unchanged. The combination of the colorful tail, white fuselage, and blue accents continues to provide the flag carrier with a recognizable identity across its network in Asia, Europe, and the Middle East.
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