Reykjavik-based Icelandair is set to unveil a rebrand in the coming days.
News from Iceland shows the first Icelandair aircraft, namely a B737 Max 8, bearing the new livery.
This photograph is taken at Norwich airport where an outside contractor has been responsible for the paint job.
It is unlike any previous colour schemes carried by Iceland’s national airline.
After the proposed livery was unveiled in Iceland last month there was negative reaction.
The reaction from the Icelandic community was mixed, reports flugblogger.is There was even a petition which requested that Icelandair drop the idea of a new colour scheme.
Critics say the new livery is turning Icelandair’s appearance “into something [akin] to a low-cost airline”.
Quoted by flugblogg.is the PR chief for Icelandair, Guoni Sigurosson said,
“People have shown a lot of interest in our new design and of course we see different opinions. This is what we would expect.”
Icelandair’s business model is based around taking travellers to and through Reykjavik.
Many of its customers fly Icelandair between Europe and North America and vice versa.
Doubtless this newly liveried 160-seat B737 Max 8 will be appearing at a major European airport before too long.
This B737 variant is also scheduled for transatlantic missions in the months ahead with Reykjavik to Raleigh-Durham being one candidate.
Business Traveller contacted Icelandair for comment and was told to expect a press release from the airline next week. Then, late on Friday afternoon, Icelandair issued more information plus a photo of the new livery.
https://twitter.com/Icelandair/status/1487108213728333829
And the first of the newly painted aircraft, a B737 MAX8 aircraft, arrived in Reykjavik from Norwich UK.
Icelandair says it will have five MAX aircraft bearing the new livery by the end of February.
The remainder of the fleet will be repainted as they go for maintenance.
In total there will be seven new colours.
These are shown as a colour accent across the tail (the photo shows three of them).
For details of what the colours signify and the carrier’s “brand inspiration” I suggest readers click the link below.
