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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Finnair’s standard livery features a predominantly white fuselage, large dark-blue titles and a stylized “F” on the aircraft’s vertical stabilizer. The design has remained largely unchanged since a corporate rebranding in 2010, although its roots extend back several decades.
The airline unveiled its updated visual identity in December 2010 as part of a broader effort to modernize its branding. The redesign included changes to the aircraft livery, corporate logo, cabin interiors, employee uniforms and airport facilities.
One of the most noticeable changes involved the tail. Finnair replaced the dark-blue background used on its previous livery with a white vertical stabilizer carrying a large blue “F” emblem. The updated logo retained the basic shape of the airline’s earlier branding while giving it a more prominent appearance.
The fuselage also received a substantial update. Larger, dark-blue “FINNAIR” titles replaced the smaller lettering found on the previous design, while the blue cheatline running along the aircraft was eliminated. The engines were painted white, creating a more uniform appearance.
Blue and white have long been associated with Finnair, reflecting the colors of Finland’s national flag. The carrier first introduced a blue-themed aircraft appearance in 1985, gradually extending the design across its fleet. Earlier aircraft had featured variations of the Finnish flag and the airline’s name along the fuselage.
The stylized “F” itself dates to an earlier period in Finnair’s history. The airline introduced a new corporate logo in 1968, the same year it formally adopted the Finnair name after previously operating as Aero O/Y. The emblem has undergone several revisions since then.
Finnair initially planned to complete the transition to its updated livery by 2013, with long-haul aircraft receiving the new appearance first. The design subsequently appeared on the airline’s Airbus A320-family aircraft, A330s and A340s, as well as its newer A350-900 fleet.
(Photo: AirlineGeeks | William Derrickson)
The Airbus A350 became an important part of the airline’s visual identity following its introduction in 2015. Finnair was the first European airline to operate the type, with the aircraft carrying the same blue-and-white scheme introduced five years earlier.
Finnair has also introduced several special liveries over the years. Among the most recognizable are aircraft featuring designs from Finnish textile company Marimekko, including the Unikko floral pattern. The airline has also operated aircraft with commemorative and promotional liveries celebrating Finnish culture and its own history.
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