Guests at this year’s Royal International Air Tattoo were treated to a combined fly-past by the Red Arrows and one of BA’s retro-liveried aircraft.
The carrier’s B747 jumbo – painted in a special BOAC livery as part of British Airways’ 100th anniversary celebrations – led the display, followed by nine Hawk jets trailing BA’s signature red, white and blue colours.
It’s not the first time BA has displayed at what is the world’s largest military show – the carrier’s Concorde performed with the Red Arrows at the 1985 edition of the Air Tattoo, and over the year’s B747 and B777 aircraft belonging to the airline have displayed alongside the Royal Air Force Aerobatic Team.
The jumbo was piloted by Senior First Officer Tom Perrins and Captain Richard Allen-Williams, and cabin crew member Julia Lowes was able to wave from the aircraft to her brother Flight Lieutenant Dan Lowes who was performing in Red 9.
Commenting on the display Captain Richard Allen-Williams said:
“We hope the sight of our BOAC liveried Boeing747 provided a wonderfully nostalgic moment for the Air Tattoo audience today. It was a huge honour for us to fly alongside the Red Arrows at RAF Fairford and to do so in our centenary year is even more special.”
The Royal Air Force celebrated its own centenary in 2018, and Squadron Leader Martin Pert, Red 1 and Team Leader of the Royal Air Force Aerobatic Team, the Red Arrows, said that the fly-past was “an incredibly memorable moment for our pilots and those watching on the ground”.
“The Royal Air Force’s own centenary celebrations – marked a year ago – demonstrated the importance of using these high-profile occasions to inspire the next generation and we hope this flypast did exactly that,” added Pert. “It was a truly best of British fly-past.”
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.
So far initiatives have included aircraft sporting retro liveries, the Speedbird 100 ale in partnership with Brewdog, a reimagined Flower Duet theme, limited edition Marmite jars, a centenary afternoon tea service, and a limited edition whisky poured at the Inchdairnie distillery in Fife, Scotland.
The carrier has also launched an online Centenary Archive Collection, featuring “never-before-seen” photographs and videos, spanning its 100-year history, as well as an interactive timeline.
