British Airways is about to celebrate its 100th birthday, and is marking the event by rolling out the first of several planes painted in the livery of its historic predecessors.
First to get the treatment is a 747 that will get the livery of British Overseas Airways Corporation as it was in 1964-74. From Feb. 18 until its retirement in 2023 it will keep the BOAC look alive. Other planes will follow, but no definite information has been released.
The 100th birthday celebration is based on the founding of Aircraft Transport and Travel Limited (yes, that’s AT&T, but not the phone company) which launched the world’s first daily international scheduled air service in 1919, between London and Paris.
It’s also a bittersweet moment for BA’s 747s, which it first flew 50 years ago this year. It has 36 in its fleet, but they are all scheduled to be phased out by 2023, replaced by a fleet of 787s and A350s.
