Brightly painted aircrafts are one of the most eye-catching sights in the sky. Each aircraft stands out with vibrant colors, intricate details, and unique designs that make an impressionful statement about who or what company operates it. From American Airlines’ classic red, white, and blue scheme to Air New Zealand’s yellow-green hues – aircraft paint jobs serve to express personality through creating eye-catching looks that capture people’s attention.
These paint jobs also serve a practical purpose, including helping identify an aircraft during flight. All details, colors and patterns chosen to enhance visibility create an unforgettable spectacle that makes its mark.
1) Fastest Eagle Alive
The Oregon National Guard recently decorated one of their F-15E fighter jets with an exquisite painting depicting Oregon’s natural magnificence: the majestic Bald Eagle. This aircraft, first introduced into service back in 1972 and still in active service across both U.S. Air National Guard and Air Force wings today, is known for its performance and offensive capabilities – something Oregon National Guard aircraft are famed for doing.
2) Talk About “Royal” Air Force
Oregon National Guard F-15E fighter jets now bear beautiful paintings of Oregon’s natural magnificence: the majestic bald eagle is an icon representing its magnificent natural resources and magnificence. First introduced into service with both U.S. Air National Guard and Air Force in 1972, this fighter is still in active service today.
3) Grinning Horror
Grinning Horror To create this stunning painting requires inhaling much jet fuel! We recognize this plane as a Short SC-7 Skyvan 3-100; however, you will have to figure out its full identity yourself. This bizarre plane paint job may well be one of the strangest ever seen and we must applaud its artist for their inventiveness; note also how even its gap in front has become part of its artwork!
4) The Vintage Throwback
This beautiful Warthog features an eye-catching paint job to honor its predecessors from World War II. While we appreciate its artistic design and destructive power, even its strongest opponents flee when they catch sight of this war machine with multiple barrels. We respect and revere it immensely!
5) Landing In Disneyland
This plane, intended as an homage to Alaska and its frigid climate, flies much slower than an aeroplane and serves as an effective promotional tool for Alaska. Seeing such a vehicle flying overhead could cause any traveller considering visiting to think more seriously about visiting. Plus, seeing an Alaskan Husky take control is a wonderful reminder that pilots are in charge.
6) A National Symbol
Fans of Peter Pan will delight at seeing Tinkerbell take to the skies! Thanks to a partnership between Disneyland and Alaska Airlines, Tink can finally fly! Anyone who sees her will want to visit Disney, while children will ask their parents for rides on her flying aircraft!
7) Sportwear Liftoff
The Gulfstream G550 is an extravagantly expensive private aircraft, even without its custom Nike design. Nothing beats owning your own jet and this particular one features eye-catching combination of navy blue and cyan stripes which will leave you mesmerized – you won’t find another paint job quite so captivating as this.
8) The Patriotic Ones
Southwest Airlines has done something amazing – they have decorated one of their planes with the Colorado flag! People living in Denver now have an opportunity to show their pride for their country while flying around. This stunning design will make any traveler proud to call themselves part of it!
9) The Airforce Is Strong
All Nippon Airways’ Star Wars-inspired planes were an obvious success! People may be drawn in by seeing R2D2, BB-8 and C3PO-inspired aircraft in action! Any plane bearing any Star Wars motif is likely to draw customers – we already have plans in motion to do just that with another airline!
10) Hungarian Air Force Mi-24V Hind
Mil Mi-24 attack helicopter is designed to deliver maximum firepower with minimum carrying and transportation capacities, making this model the ultimate weapon. There are international variations of this design such as Mi-35 and Mi-25 available as well. However, its paint job may either demonstrate military brilliance or display military negligence; its presence could either be comical or intimidatingly intimidating; every detail has been designed to resemble a bird of prey – this being the sole plane ever to take flight!
11) Royal Netherlands F-16 Fighter Jet
We were extremely lucky to catch the Royal Dutch Air Force aerobatic team performing on F-16 jets as part of its Demoteam, as well as flying an AH-64D Apache Solo Display Team and an AH-64 Apache. The orange F-16 shown here makes an exciting display, painted to commemorate its traditional role. Unfortunately we weren’t able to experience all their performance before they retired but we do have some impressive helicopter designs on hand!
12) The Duracell Plane
This C-130 Hercules serves as an advertisement for Duracell’s battery company in an effort to bring power to electronic toys for children. Duracell collaborated with Toys for Tots to distribute this load of AA batteries; though note that these were not power sources of its C-130 Hercules itself; we find its amusing battery theme particularly striking while its military aesthetic makes for a compelling design.
13) Digital Russians
When it comes to stylish art, few can rival Russia. Their digital camouflage look has become one of the most iconic military designs; those familiar with United States Air Force may recall it from an F-16 from years past; an interesting link. One shouldn’t criticize USAF too harshly given that its F-22 Raptor almost mimicked it almost exactly! Now from fast to electric.
14) Sci-Fi Spaceship
The NATO Tiger Meet offers aircraft enthusiasts an opportunity to show off customized aircraft. In 2016, this annual gathering took place in Zaragoza, Spain. Among the many noteworthy entries was “Tiger Hind,” which won Best-Looking Tiger Aircraft Award and looked similar to an alien from Alien while featuring a cyborg jaguar cyborg design resembling one featured on Alien film series; an unusual example of such artwork being used for combat purposes!
15) Disco In The Sky
Clay Lacy Aviation has designed the “SexyJet,” an extravagant Gulfstream GV painted in multicolored stripes. This aircraft is tailored for high rollers, featuring an expansive gallery, personal lavatory, power outlets for electronics and hot and cold snacks – plus two Rolls-Royce engines for maximum power! Once you see it for yourself, it may even seem unreal!
16) The Terror Of The Skies
Now it is time to veer away from pleasant designs and go back to the A-10’s distinctive aesthetics! With its olive drab green paint scheme and monstrous nose job, the A-10 is truly intimidating. Of all the creative concepts on our list, we just had to include this war-inspired paint job which will cause terrorists to run away in fear. Giving military planes friendlier appearance can give pilots greater confidence while simultaneously terrifying enemies away – all without losing its pleasing aesthetics! But enough about that; let us switch back over!
17) Holiday Cheer From Above
This festive snapshot shows how the Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II’s usually muted hues have been drastically transformed to represent the spirit of Christmas. It’s incredible to witness all of the Yuletide features added to it, such as garlanded wings and reindeer propulsion systems – an incredible juxtaposition with snow-covered landscape. Perhaps instead of rocket launches they should fire some Christmas firecrackers?
18) Flying Fish
Do you wonder how this colorful flying fish stays aloft in the sky? Kids and adults can recognize its vibrant hue. The plane depicted here is the SC-7 Skyvan 3-100 of Pink Aviation in Czech Republic; we can easily imagine Santa using this plane to deliver gifts across Eastern Europe! Santa might even be surprised if Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer were an A-10 Warthog; although difficult to imagine now, but that would certainly make an unusual present!
19) NATO Tiger Meet Pt. 2
This French Dassault Rafale M fighter has been decorated with an Arctic Tiger paint job, giving it the appearance of something from a video game. Which paint job do you prefer: this or its predecessor? If you were to encounter it in the sky, would it make you hesitate before approaching? With red eyes of its Arctic hunter standing out against its predominantly black and white paint scheme; special ordered for another NATO Tiger Meet; or perhaps something suitable for children instead?
20) NATO Tiger Meet
At the 2003 NATO Tiger Meet, we had the great fortune to see an imposing Mirage 2000RDI 83/12-YL from EX 1/12 host unit sporting one of the most eye-catching military paint jobs we had ever seen – particularly its menacing eyes and intricate details. Unfortunately though, this masterpiece never took to the runway – which was truly unfortunate!
21) The Rainbow Make-A-Wish Jet
No one could miss seeing International Jet Aviation, a Denver plane management and rental business, fly its Lear Jet model 35 through the skies, spreading joy. They provided it as part of their special service for seriously ill children around the globe who may wish to experience flight for themselves if desired; since 1990 this plane’s service had taken various forms; its last flight was held in 2019 – we applaud its vibrant paint job and how much good it did in improving lives of sick kids worldwide!
22) The Winged Warrior
I can’t decide if this plane has been decorated with a rooster image or it is just my imagination? We cannot agree if this plane is incredible or just plain foolish – either way it would certainly make for an uncomfortable flight experience! With its eye-catching retro pilot’s uniform and distinctive retro designs such as its distinctive wingspan formation is bound to draw our attention – which we both admire and find humorous!
23) Feathered Feats
We have never encountered such an amusing plane design. Nokair Airlines is well-known for their amusing corporate culture and they feature many planes featuring animal motifs – this rooster-themed jet is no exception – though typically passenger jets fly at speeds under 1,000 miles per hour so this jet stands out.
24) Maple Marvel
The Royal Canadian Air Force showcased their demonstration jet, decorated with bright red and white maple leaves, at the 2017 Canada150 Air Show to commemorate the nation’s 150th year. This incredible machine can reach speeds up to 1,127 miles per hour but may be hard to spot due to its camouflage.
25) Out Of The Ocean
Airbus Paintshop in Hamburg, Germany produced one-third of All Nippon Airways (ANA) A380 series in Hamburg. Their Hawaiian sea turtle design is so cute! As the first client to receive their superjumbo airplanes from Japan, and as seen here ANA A380s received this treatment just like two preceding A380s; all three A380s will fly on Narita-Honolulu routes with three shades added besides blue; second being green and third orange – one of Airbus most ambitious projects ever undertaken, taking 21 days and 16 distinct colours over 3,600m2 surface area!
Admirers of beautifully decorated aircraft often find ordinary art to be uninspiring; we should recognize their incredible talent. Custom paint jobs on planes often serve multiple functions – whether to warn opposing forces of an imminent threat, or allow rich people to show off their uniqueness with jets of their own design; we witness these designs often.
26) The Incredible Airline
Alaska Airlines launched a promotional campaign featuring Inuit art to promote Incredibles 2 movie. While superheroes remain an integral part of modern culture, this ad successfully combined both aspects. Unfortunately, some older generations were outraged over portrayal of an Inuit hero within this advertisement.
27) Pokémon Airlines
Since the late 90s, much has been made of this Pokemon-themed aircraft known as Pokemon Airlines. When it finally took flight in 1998 it caused quite an uproar; after its success ANA then made another of these aircraft for public use; even though these planes are no longer flying today they will always be remembered with fondness.
28) Light Up The Sky
Icelandair Stopover, an airline from Iceland, has chosen to honor this incredible natural phenomenon on one of their planes with this innovative aircraft design showcasing it on an aircraft. Passengers should remember to bring along their Poke balls when taking this ride!
29) Having A Whale Of A Flight
Most people associate brightly-painted planes with animals such as eagles or tigers; this unique painting, featuring a Beluga whale instead, stands out. Do you recognize its remarkable similarity? Whoever created this art piece clearly recognized the large size of the aircraft and decided on giving it an appropriate design – the world’s biggest living animal as its theme!
30) Versailles In The Sky
Versailles in the Sky When it comes to private plane designs, some of the most striking and distinctive are visible. If you wish to captivate wealthy and famous individuals, make sure they notice you with something such as an air blue backdrop featuring floating flowers – this makes an excellent romantic retreat that allows one to embark upon exciting travels!
31) Digital Aces
Although the United States and Russia were enemies during the Cold War, they remain closely observing one another’s military advances today. For instance, this photograph showcases Russia’s Su-57 aircraft while this second one shows U.S. Air Force F-16’s. Even though these two nations currently enjoy a peaceful relationship, both invest significantly into each other’s military science, often spending large sums of money into each others’ military science, including covering their planes with paint that cannot escape intelligence services’ surveillance systems’ observation!
32) Big Plane, Big Cat
Rossiy Airlines joined forces with the Amur Tiger Center to erect this remarkable memorial to this courageous animal. An incredible face of Amur Tiger sits proudly atop of an enormous Boeing 737 aircraft – no small task! Needless to say, every bit of painting was performed manually!
33) Jackson Pollock’s Plane
This M3 Charter Jet stands out as one of the more eccentric private jets you will come across. Featuring a vibrant green background decorated with yellow, red, blue, and black spots that resemble Jackson Pollock artwork if given the chance…
34) Flying Droids
It was only fitting that All Nippon Airways collaborated on creating a full-size airplane customized to commemorate R2D2 from Star Wars films, giving its appearance that of Anakin Skywalker’s loyal droid in honor of Star Wars fans everywhere. Talented artist gave this aircraft the look and feel of beloved R2-D2. Even though fans will have to wait longer before receiving their own plane, this one certainly stands out!
35) To Infinity, And Beyond!
Buzz Lightyear came alive when Pixar and China Eastern Airlines collaborated, making this incredible event happen! Passengers also received Toy Story-themed boarding passes as mementos of this incredible trip – something many will treasure long after this unforgettable trip has ended!
36) Super-Fast And Fizzy
Though Pepsi’s Concorde plane could have been deadly, its attractive exterior made it seem harmless and resulted in plenty of publicity for their product. A white paint job allowed for maximum speed up to 1.7 Mach, however being covered with blue paint slowed it down significantly compared to being painted white.
37) Air New Zealand ‘Lord Of The Rings’
Since the release of “Lord of the Rings,” New Zealand has seen an influx of tourists wanting to pay their respects to Oscar-winning films by visiting.
Air New Zealand was part of the action, featuring Lord of the Rings-themed planes and an entertaining safety video featuring movie actors dressed as their respective characters from within its ranks.
38) KLM Delft
KLM Delft Delft in the Netherlands is famous for its traditional blue-and-white pottery designs, so in tribute, Dutch national airline KLM decorated some aircraft with this distinctive pattern as a nod to its unique culture.
39) Nok Air – Bird
Nok Air, also known by its Thai acronym Nok (bird), is based in Thailand and named for a Thai word that translates to the word for bird. All Nok Air planes feature beak-shaped nose pieces painted to look like colorful birds while their bodies feature feather-inspired decorations for added flair.
40) Nok Air – Birds
Nok Air decided to put an imaginative touch to its planes by painting them to look like vibrant birds – making for an interesting visual display!
Fun is found spotting colorful aircrafts flying overhead while on the ground, while also serving as an answer to questions such as, “Is that bird or plane?” (Yes, both).
41) Kulula Flying 101
For years, South African budget airline Kulula stood out with its eye-catching exterior paint scheme featuring various components of their aircraft in their Flying 101 painting.
On the exterior of the cockpit is written: “Big Cheese — My Captain!”.
Marked with an arrow, this diagram clearly displays where the “black box” flight data recorder can be found on an aircraft. No other way has proven more effective or impactful in providing insight into how its inner workings function.
42) Brussels Airlines Tintin
Cartoon-inspired illustrations remain popular choices for decorating airplanes’ exteriors; as evidenced by Brussels Airlines’ tribute to Tintin, one of Belgium’s most acclaimed people.
The airplane features the iconic 37-meter long shark submarine from “Red Rackham’s Treasure,” as well as the classic Tintin storybook character himself and his wire fox terrier companion Snowy (or Milou in French).
Your book selection onboard the plane can even be read in English, French or Dutch!
43) Eva Air — Gudetama
The Eva Air aircraft that transports travelers between Taipei and Tokyo features Gudetama from Sanrio’s popular characters as its signature motif.
Gudetama, an unassuming egg yolk character from Taiwanese comic books and cartoons, can often be seen hiding beneath a sheet of bacon. Fittingly, the insides of their aircraft is decorated with yellow egg-yolk decorations including cups, cards and cushions all displaying this beloved character.
Hello Kitty is one of the most iconic figures from Sanrio, famed for her travels across many mediums – she can often be found gracing the faces of aircraft and trains, as well as appearing at lounges like Taipei Airport.
44) Azores Airlines — Whale
Azores Islands in the Atlantic Ocean), honored their area’s designation as a whale sanctuary by painting an A330 plane’s exterior with an image of a blue sperm whale.
The airline logo features a whale tail — perfectly displayed on the plane tail!
Azores Airlines celebrated its change from SATA International by unveiling a special livery.
45) Qatar Airways — Barcelona
Qatar Airways and F.C. Barcelona have had an ongoing partnership since 2013; in 2014, Qatar unveiled a special decorated Boeing 777 featuring their flag and emblem with the slogan, “A team that brings people together”.
The flag design on this aircraft features a striking shading effect, creating the impression of movement when taking off. Barca (Catalan term for red and blue hues), covers half of the plane.
46) Jetstar — Singaporeans
Whilst celebrating Singapore’s golden jubilee in 2015, Jetstar unveiled an innovative livery featuring 50 regular Singaporeans as its subjects.
Michael Ng, a local designer in Singapore, utilized an iconic species such as the black-naped oriole to illustrate faces of those recognized by friends, family, or the general public as “unsung heroes”.
Pop art-inspired transformation featured local icons, including one who left corporate employment to assist disadvantaged populations in Cambodia.
47) Virgin Atlantic — Where’s Waldo?
AIR With seven million citizens speaking 800 different tongues, Papua New Guinea stands out as an isolated and rugged Southeast Asian nation that relies heavily on air transportation for transportation purposes.
PNG Air has created an innovative and eye-catching livery for its new ATR 72-600 aircraft designed to represent the diversity of PNG. This design incorporates various traditional symbols from different regions across PNG.
This modern portrayal of ancient patterns was accomplished using just three colors.
48) Papua New Guinea — AIR
AIR With seven million citizens speaking 800 different tongues, Papua New Guinea stands out as an isolated and rugged Southeast Asian nation that relies heavily on air transportation for transportation purposes.
PNG Air has created an innovative and eye-catching livery for its new ATR 72-600 aircraft designed to represent the diversity of PNG. This design incorporates various traditional symbols from different regions across PNG.
This modern portrayal of ancient patterns was accomplished using just three colors.
49) BA — Fashion
Masha Ma, an esteemed Chinese fashion designer, unveiled a uniquely fashionable British Airways livery.
The artistic design on the Boeing 777-200 fused east and west, featuring symbols and techniques from both impressionism and Chinese ink-and-wash painting. Bamboo and rose were featured prominently, symbolizing cultural harmony.
Design took nearly 2,500 hours and included 186 stencils.
50) Westjet — Frozen
Westjet — Frozen If you want to decorate your plane in the image of Anna, Elsa and Olaf from Disney’s movie ‘Frozen’ – Anna Elsa Elsa and Olaf – it requires 23 different hues of paint totalling 170 gallons! Westjet Airlines in collaboration with Disney employed painters from Canada, US and Germany in order to bring this kid-friendly design to life.
The interior carried on this theme with cold and wintery overhead bins at one end, transitioning into warmer tones towards the front of the plane.
51) Western Pacific – The Simpsons Jet
Western Pacific Airlines decided in 1995 to decorate one of its aircraft with characters from The Simpsons television show as part of a promotional ad campaign they ran, featuring prominent displays featuring Bart, Homer, Lisa and Marge on its sides until it ultimately closed its doors for good in 1998.
52) US Airways – Arizona Cardinals
U.S. Airways paid its respects to Arizona Cardinals by painting its iconic red bird logo onto both sides of their aircraft in 2006. Doesn’t that look nice?
53) Lufthansa – Football Nose
In 2006, when Germany hosted the World Cup tournament, Lufthansa showed its support by decorating 40 of their planes’ noses with painted soccer ball images on them as a sign of support for German Football Team.
54) Aeroflot – Olympics
Aeroflot-Olympics In 2008, Russian airline Aeroflot painted one of their planes in red and silver to pay tribute to Russia’s Olympic team. The aircraft flew between Moscow and Beijing numerous times transporting Russian athletes, politicians, and notable people to and from Beijing Olympic venues; its red-and-silver design mimicking Team Russia uniforms worn during competition.
55) South West Airlines – SI One
Bar Rafaeli, a supermodel who featured on the Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue cover in 2009, celebrated her appearance by having her likeness painted onto a plane belonging to South West Airlines and flying from New York to Las Vegas with only her bikini showing. After this promotional trip was over with, South West repainted their aircraft in 2011.
56) Austrian Airlines – Wiener Philharmoniker
Vienna is famous for producing some of the world’s greatest composers, orchestras, ballets, and artists. To commemorate Vienna’s legacy of classical music, Austrian Airlines (Vienna’s airline) designed one of their aircrafts to feature violins, bassoons, cellos and various other classical instruments in an artistic livery design – although unfortunately this plane was later repainted and its unique livery no longer visible.
57) Malaysia Airways – Hibiscus
Malaysia Airways gave two Boeing 747s a striking look when they painted them with designs of red Hibiscus flowers, the national blooms of Malaysia. Unfortunately, these unique aircraft were returned to their original colors in 2008, thus ending this special design project.
58) Singapore Airlines – Tropical Megatop
Singapore Airlines chose a unique paint job known as the Tropical Megatop on two Boeing 747’s in order to advertise their first class and business class services, but one of these airplanes tragically crashed during its travel from Taiwan to Las Vegas, killing all 83 passengers aboard it. After this tragic event occurred, one plane received new paint jobs immediately; thus rendering “Tropical Megatop” no longer an option.
59) Air France – Pepsi
No trickery; that plane is unquestionably a Concorde! Widely considered one of the greatest achievements in contemporary aeronautics, its paint jobs have often been breathtaking. Pepsi underwent a major rebranding effort and collaborated with Air France to advertise during 1996; their logo adorning every piece of Bluebird fleet until 2003 when its paint job changed again.
60) Qantas – Wunala Dream
To honor and commemorate Australia’s Aboriginal culture and heritage, Qantas Airlines decided to paint three planes with traditional Aboriginal artwork since 1994. A mixture of Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal artists participated in designing these intricate designs that stand out against the competition.
61) Delta Airlines – Pink Plane
Delta Airlines began supporting the Breast Cancer Research Foundation by painting their aircrafts pink. A ribbon logo of the Foundation can be found near the front of each plane, and staff also wear pink uniforms and offer pink items such as lemonade and headsets on-board.
62) Eva Air – Hello Kitty
Eva Air- Hello Kitty In an effort to assist Taiwan’s declining tourism sector, Eva Air partnered with Hello Kitty brand for an air travel promotion campaign featuring adorable cats all over their aircrafts: exterior panels, seats, boarding passes, check-in desks, employee uniforms and food shaped like Hello Kitty characters!
63) Etihad Airways – Formula 1
Etihad Airways served as an official sponsor of the Formula 1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in 2009 and commemorated their role by decorating one of their planes in the colors associated with Formula 1, red, black and white – with its tail painted to look like a checkered flag.
64) Japan Airlines – Disney Jet
Japan Airlines has long been an official partner of Disneyland Tokyo and Tokyo DisneySea Waterpark since their opening. Popular characters like Micky Mouse, Donald Duck, and Goofy have featured prominently in many plane designs of Japan Airlines; moreover they recently announced plans to decorate six additional aircraft with Disney-themed themes.
65) All Nippon Airways – Fly Panda
All Nippon Airlines marked 20 years of travel between Japan and China by decorating one of their planes with the panda symbol as part of a fitting tribute, coined “Fly Panda.” It still remains operational today and remains named such.
66) Thai Airways – Royal Barge
Thai Airways decorated three aircraft to commemorate Thailand’s monarchy by painting two traditional royal boats onto each wing, complete with tiny painted figures for added realism and Thai architecture.
67) Swiss Air – San Francisco
In celebration of the start of their non-stop Zurich-San Francisco service, Swiss Air unveiled an aircraft decorated with an original San Francisco design featuring peace signs, musical notes, love hearts and hippie-style font and hue words. Painting this aircraft took eight people three days.
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