Not just about being pretty: Qantas’ new plane design carries deeper meaning

We’ve come a long way since identifying an object in the sky was simply a matter of deciding between bird, plane and Superman. Now there are more than 15,000 satellites, observation balloons, a growing cloud of space junk and drones galore.

And even a plane isn’t just a plane any more. Take Qantas’ new Airbus A321XLR. Bedecked in a livery inspired by the Great Barrier Reef, and named Coral Sea, the aircraft is the seventh of 48 next-generation A321XLRs Qantas has ordered.

It’s not just pretty. Qantas has had a partnership with the Great Barrier Reef Foundation since 2009 and has committed $10 million over 10 years through the Reef Restoration Fund to support scientists, traditional owners and local tourism operators working to restore corals across the Great Barrier Reef and other Australian reefs.

Why do airlines do it? To tell a story about both the airline and the country it calls home. Highly visible wherever they land, aircraft are flying ambassadors.

Liveries, as aircraft paint schemes are known, were once largely about recognition and branding. But as aviation became more global and social media gave aircraft a far wider audience than the passengers on board, airlines began using them to tell stories about place, heritage and identity.

Qantas was one of the pioneers. In 1994, it unveiled Wunala Dreaming, the first aircraft in what became its Flying Art Series. Designed by Balarinji in collaboration with Aboriginal artists, it demonstrated that an aircraft could become more than a flying billboard for an airline. It could also become a canvas for culture. Over the following three decades, the series expanded with Nalanji Dreaming (1995), Yananyi Dreaming (2002), Mendoowoorrji (2013), Emily Kame Kngwarreye (2018) and Minyma Kutjara Tjukurpa (2023).

When Fiji’s national carrier reverted from Air Pacific to Fiji Airways in 2013, it introduced a new identity built around traditional masi motifs created by Fijian artist Makereta Matemosi. Inspired by the intricate patterns found in tapa cloth, the geometric design quickly became one of the aviation industry’s most recognisable liveries, while reinforcing the airline’s connection to Fijian culture.

Air New Zealand also refreshed its identity in 2013, adopting the now-familiar black livery and silver fern that has become synonymous with the airline. A year later, Etihad Airways introduced its “Facets of Abu Dhabi” design, drawing inspiration from traditional Emirati patterns, desert landscapes and contemporary architecture to create an unmistakably Middle Eastern identity.

Others have taken a more playful approach. Japan’s All Nippon Airways launched the world’s first Pokemon Jet in 1998, a concept so successful that successive generations of Pokemon aircraft continue to fly today.

The airline later produced Star Wars-themed aircraft modelled on R2-D2, BB-8 and C-3PO, while its trio of Flying Honu Airbus A380s, introduced in 2019 and painted as giant Hawaiian green sea turtles, have become icons of its Hawaii services.

Taiwan’s EVA Air took a similar approach in 2005 with its Hello Kitty aircraft. Rather than limiting the theme to the exterior, the airline extended it throughout the passenger experience, from boarding passes and meals to cabin furnishings and souvenirs, turning the aircraft into a destination in itself.

The appetite for distinctive liveries has also encouraged airlines to take bigger design risks. Germany’s Condor did exactly that in 2022 when it unveiled aircraft wrapped in bold vertical stripes inspired by beach towels. Initial reaction was mixed, but the colourful fleet has since become one of Europe’s most recognisable, proving that memorable often trumps conservative.

One big swing wasn’t so successful. In 2013, Finnair repainted a Marimekko-themed aircraft after the artwork was found to have been copied from Ukrainian folk art.

The simplicity of others has left pundits cold. Lufthansa’s minimalist 2018 refresh attracted criticism for removing much of the yellow that had softened its traditional blue palette, while Brussels Airlines’ dotted tail design has been argued about since its introduction in 2021.

Both airlines, however, defend the designs. Lufthansa says its simplified livery reflects a modern premium brand, while Brussels Airlines describes its refreshed identity as cleaner and more refined.

After all, not everyone thinks Hello Kitty is the cat’s meow.