Airlines have been known to dabble in the political, from Aeromexico’s pointed ads referencing ‘borders’ to Air New Zealand’s Make Christmas Great Again kid.
But it’s rare for such messaging to make it onto an aircraft, as it has with a Lufthansa A320.
Yesterday the German carrier unveiled a livery emblazoned with the words ‘Say yes to Europe’ alongside a sizeable European Union flag. The Lufthansa Group also includes Swiss, Austrian Airlines, Eurowings, Brussels Airlines and Air Dolomiti .
Lufthansa said it would send a “very special signal” ahead of European elections scheduled to take place from May 23 to 26, and hoped it would encourage higher voter turnout.
The carrier confirmed on social media that the aircraft, registered D-AIZG, would serve destinations across Europe, including the UK, which voted to leave the European Union in 2016. It added that a “specific message to individual countries (eg the UK) is not the intention of this initiative.”
Lufthansa also announced that future liveries will feature the European flag next to the German flag as part of the aircraft registration code.
“With their vote in May, the citizens of Europe will decide the future of the European community. Now more than ever, it is a question of taking a stand, taking responsibility and strengthening the idea of a united and free continent,” said Lufthansa Group CEO Carsten Spohr.
“As a genuine European company with roots in several countries in the heart of Europe, our airlines … connect the continent’s countries with each other and connect Europe with the world. For this reason, Europe is very close to our hearts.”
Lufthansa is supporting a wider ‘#SayYesToEurope’ initiative aiming to increase voter turnout.
