(Picture by Nick Morrish, courtesy of British Airways)
On 9th April 2019, British Airways – for the very first time – brought together its four heritage liveried aircraft. The planes were repainted to mark the airline’s centenary this year, and were captured in a series of rare images showing some of the airline’s most iconic designs together, alongside an A319 in the current Chatham Dockyard livery.
The photos also mark the fact that 50,000 customers have already flown around the globe on the four heritage liveries since they re-joined the fleet, with the Boeing 747s having travelled to destinations such as New York, Cape Town, Dubai and Lagos, while the BEA liveried Airbus A319 has flown far and wide across the airlines’ UK and European network to cities including Manchester, Newcastle, Edinburgh, Milan, Zurich and Amsterdam.
Alex Cruz, British Airways’ Chairman and CEO, said: “The excitement and pride that we’ve witnessed from customers and colleagues as these heritage liveries, which we painted to mark our centenary, have flown around the globe has been unparalleled.”
The painstaking process of arranging them for the photo took over two (very careful) hours. The retro designs are part of a special series to mark British Airways’ centenary, as the airline celebrates its past while looking to the future.
The centenary activity is taking place alongside the airline’s current five-year £6.5 billion investment for customers. This includes the installation of the best quality WiFi and power in every seat, fitting 128 long-haul aircraft with new interiors and taking delivery of 72 new aircraft. The airline has also revealed a brand-new business class seat with direct aisle access, called the Club Suite, which will debut on the Airbus A350 later this year.
