British Airways could be working on a new design of its iconic aircraft livery design that has adorned its massive fleet of Airbus and Boeing jets unchanged for more than 25 years.
While this change is just a rumor, at least for now, there’s growing speculation that the airline could have something in the works to coincide with the highly anticipated but much delayed introduction of Boeing’s next-generation 777X.
British Airways was one of the first airlines to order the 777X and currently expects to take delivery of 24 of the widebody aircraft, forming a major part of BA’s fleet development and renewal strategy.
Unfortunately, significant regulatory and certification issues have massively delayed the 777X, and while the first of these new airplanes was meant to start being delivered to airlines back in 2020, it’s now looking like the 777X won’t be carrying any passengers until 2026 at the earliest.
Despite the long delay in turning the 777X into a reality, we still don’t know much about how British Airways plans to configure these jets, although the airline has confirmed that its new First Class suite will feature.
Last November, British Airways unveiled a prototype of this seat, alongside a cabin mockup, which also features an updated design language.
This same design language has already been rolled out on brand new Airbus A321 single-aisle jets recently delivered to the airline and will debut on retrofitted Airbus A380 superjumbos next year.
The thinking is that with British Airways updating its design aesthetic inside the plane, the next logical step is to introduce a renewed visual identity on the outside as well.
Any change could prove controversial among BA’s diehard fans, especially when you consider that its current livery still looks pretty fresh despite the fact that it has adorned the sides of the airline’s jets for around 25 years.
British Airways landed on its current livery just two years after unveiling a brand refresh that quickly turned into a major marketing fail.
In 1997, the airline commissioned artists from around the world to design unique tailfin designs that represented different cultures and art themes. The project was known both as Utopia and World Tails, with an initial set of 15 designs, which was expected to rise to 35 over the course of the project.
The then British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher was famously left so aghast at the designs that she took out a tissue from her handbag and covered the tail of a model plane that was on show at the Conservative Party annual conference.
One of the Utopia designs did, however, include a special tailfin that was originally only meant to be painted on Concorde – this was known as the ‘Chatham Dock’ livery, as it represented the red, white, and blue of the Union Flag, which was created at the historic dockyard in Kent, England.
British Airways decided to roll out the Chatham Dock tailfin design across its entire fleet, while retaining the new speedmarque logo and British Airways typeface.
If British Airways is seriously looking to update its livery, then expect an evolution, rather than a revolution of the current design. There could be a new interpretation of the famous flag design, similar to how Emirates recently reworked its tailfin design.
There could also be a redesign of the Speedmarque logo, moving to a flat design language that has become increasingly popular in airline branding, while British Airways might also remove the blue underbelly and ‘cheat line’.
It’s probably fair to say that after 25 years, it’s not unreasonable for an airline to bring in an updated livery, even one like British Airways, which famously hates spending any more money than absolutely strictly necessary.
Even minor design changes, however, can be an incredibly expensive undertaking, requiring every single aircraft to be repainted.
These kinds of projects can take several years to complete because the paint job is usually timed alongside other scheduled maintenance for efficiency reasons.
“In 1997, the airline commissioned artists from around the world to design unique tailfin designs that represented different cultures and art themes. The project was known both as Utopia and World Tails, with an initial set of 15 designs, which was expected to rise to 35 over the course of the project.
The then British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher was famously left so aghast at the designs that she took out a tissue from her handbag and covered the tail of a model plane that was on show at the Conservative Party annual conference.”
Ummm…Thatcher wasn’t PM in ’97.
Was Margaret Thatcher PM in 1997…?