Australia's Qantas Airlines, one of the world's longest-tenured and safest airlines is having a retro livery applied to a Boeing 737-800. It will be delivered this November, in Seattle.
Timeline of Qantas' Kangaroo logos (image via Qantas)
Qantas is celebrating the 70th anniversary of its "Flying Kangaroo" logo, which first appeared in 1944 as the airline introduced service to India, using two passenger-converted B-24 Liberators. Their original kangaroo icon was adopted from the image on the Australian penny coin. Group Executive for Brand, Marketing and Corporate Affairs, Olivia Wirth said:
"Our kangaroo logo represents our proud history, inextricably linked with the development of commercial aviation in Australia. It has also become a symbol of 'home' to Australians travelling both here and abroad. A retro livery is the perfect tribute to our iconic flying kangaroo logo and its 70th anniversary. While it serves as a nod to our heritage, having it fly on one of our brand new Boeing 737s highlights our commitment to being an aviation innovator when it comes to new aircraft and modern technology."
John Travolta's Qantas 707 (Flickr, Philippe Arhab / CC Commercial License)
This will be Qantas' first official retro-livery plane, but one could argue that Qantas has had a retro jet for years, as actor John Travolta owns a Boeing 707 with a vintage Qantas livery. He serves as an honorary Captain and ambassador for the airline, most recently at Dallas-Ft Worth Airport last week, as Qantas launched Sydney to DFW flights with the Airbus A380. Qantas hasn't disclosed which of their vintage liveries will be on the new 737, but many seem to to believe it will be the one pictured at the top. I think it looks pretty classic. What are your thoughts?
Top image via @EssendonBomber on Twitter