The fourth and final aircraft featuring a retro British Airways livery is scheduled to touch down at Heathrow airport this morning, as part of the carrier’s centenary celebrations.
The B747 (registration G-CIVB) has been painted in the Negus scheme – a design used on on British Airways aircraft between 1974 and 1980, directly after the merger of BOAC and BEA.
The jumbo received its retro paint job at Dublin airport, which will remain on the aircraft until it is retired in 2022.
It is part of a series of retro designs – last month BA unveiled a B747 painted in a BOAC livery, while an A319 has been painted in the BEA scheme, and a B747 has also been painted in the Landor design.
The name for the Negus scheme came from design firm Negus and Negus which created the livery, and as BA pointed out in a tweet, it also translates as “to reign” in Ethiopian.
British Airways traces its history back to August 1919, when Aircraft Transport and Travel Limited launched the world’s first daily international scheduled air service, between London and Paris. A potted history of the airline can be seen here.
This week BA unveiled its new Club Suite business class product, and the carrier is also set to unveil new uniforms this year, designed by British designer Ozwald Boateng OBE.
