Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) has unveiled a special new livery on one of its aircraft to celebrate the carrier’s 80th anniversary.
The aircraft in question, an Airbus A330-300 with registration LN-RKR, has had a blue hue applied across the length of its fuselage, with the carrier’s 1980s livery superimposed on top.
This historical paint scheme combines a stylized version of the flags of the three countries that founded the airline (Denmark, Sweden and Norway) as well as the lettering “SAS” in very large fonts. A large “80” has also been painted on the tail of the aircraft.
The first deployment of this aircraft in its new livery will be on the Copenhagen (CPH) to New York (JFK) route, a way to mark the airline’s first service, although on that occasion it was the Swedish capital, Stockholm, which was linked to New York.
The first commercial flight in SAS’ history was performed on September 17, 1946, by a Douglas DC-4 piston-engined aircraft carrying 28 passengers onboard. The whole journey took 25 hours to complete, and it involved intermediate stops in Copenhagen (CPH), Prestwick, Scotland (PIK) and Gander, Newfoundland (YQX) before it landed at LaGuardia Airport, New York (LGA), which was then known simply as New York Municipal Airport – LaGuardia Field.
In a press release announcing the new livery, Anko van der Werff, President and CEO of Scandinavian Airlines, said: “From our first transatlantic flight to today’s global network, that purpose remains unchanged. This aircraft is a symbol of our heritage, and of the role we play every day for our customers and the societies we serve.”
The specially liveried aircraft is one of eight A330-300s currently operated by SAS and is fitted with 266 seats (32 in business, 56 in premium economy and 178 in economy class).