British Airways ethnic liveries

BA ethnic tail Market Day on an Embraer ERJ 145

In 1997 British Airways adopted a new livery. One part of this was a newly stylised version of the British Airways "Speedbird" logo, but the major change was the introduction of tail-fin art. Also known as the Utopia or world image tailfins, they used art and designs from international artists and other sources to represent countries on BA's route network. The signature of the artist was carried near the design on the tail.

The new corporate logo was created by the London-based design agency Newell and Sorrell, who also oversaw the implementation of the tailfin designs.

The German designs refer to the BA subsidiary Deutsche BA, and the Australian designs to the BA's alliance.

The adoption of this aircraft livery was seen as a move away from the traditional British image of the carrier. BA suggested that the previous "Landor Associates" scheme carried an air of arrogance and detachment, and insisted that the new tailfins were popular with international travellers. However, they were unpopular with many people in the UK, despite nine of the designs being inspired by either England, Scotland or Wales. Former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher showed her displeasure at the designs by covering one of the new tailfins on a model 747 with a handkerchief. She declared, "We fly the British flag, not these awful things."

Virgin Atlantic took advantage of the controversy by applying a Union flag scheme to the front end of its aircraft. In their own 1999 relaunch, the flag was also applied to the vertical winglets of Virgin Atlantic's aircraft.

Safety concerns were also raised that the lack of a consistent tail design could lead to BA aircraft being mis-identified by controllers and other aircrew.

[edit]Review of use

While the majority of the designs were applied to a variety of aircraft models, one scheme (the stylised version of the Chatham Dockyard Union Flag) was used on Concorde only. By 1999, BA had repainted around 170 aircraft in its new colours but then Chief Executive, Bob Ayling, announced a review of this process. The aircraft already repainted would keep the new designs, but the remainder of the fleet (still showing the pre-1997 union flag design) would receive a variant of Concorde's Union Flag design. The announcement was timed to divert some attention from Virgin's relaunch.

Finally in May 2001 the new Chief Executive, Rod Eddington, announced the entire fleet would receive the new Union flag livery. Eddington argued that while an attempt to increase the airline's appeal was not a bad thing, the exercise hurt the image of the carrier among its core customers — those that are attracted by the British identity, which the ethnic tailfins diluted somewhat.

Liveries

Gallery

Animals and Trees on a Boeing 747-400	Blomsterang on a Boeing 767-300	Chatham Dockyard Union Flag on a Boeing 747-400	Chelsea Rose on a Boeing 767-300
Delftblue Daybreak on a Boeing 767	Koguty Lowickie on a Boeing 757-200	Market Day on an Embraer ERJ 145	Ndebele on a Boeing 737-400
Paithani on a Citiexpress Embraer ERJ 145	Water Dreaming on an Embraer ERJ 145	Waves and Cranes on a Boeing 767-300	Waves of the City on an Embraer ERJ 145

List

British Airways World Art liveries

Name Summary Origin

Chatham Dockyard Union Flag Introduced on Concorde for relaunch, now the livery for entire fleet United Kingdom

Animals and trees Art of a tribe in the Kalahari Desert Botswana

Avignon Jim Avignon design, contemporary German art Germany

Bavaria/Edelweis German art Germany

Benyhone Anglicized Gaelic for "Mountain of the birds", a Scottish tartan design Scotland

Blomsterang/Flower Field Hearts and flowers Sweden

Blue Poole Pottery design England

British Blend Coffee cup design, result of New Britain competition, used on a single A320 United Kingdom

Chelsea Rose Representation of the English rose England

Colour Down the Side Abstract cornish art, used on a single Dash 8 of Brymon Airways (BA Citiexpress) England

Colum Anglicized Irish for "Dove": a Celtic design Ireland

Crossing Borders Egyptian scroll Egypt

Delftblue Daybreak Delft pottery design Netherlands

Golden Khokloma Representation of art on pottery and utensils Russia

Gothic/Calligraphy German art Germany

Grand Union By Christine Bass (artist and designer), result of a Sunday Times competition, based on traditional English canal boat art United Kingdom

Koguty Lowickie Polish artist's print of cockerels, peacocks and flower Poland

L'esprit Liberté Celebrating human rights movement International

La Pyramide du Louvre One aircraft painted with image of central courtyard of Louvre museum France

Nalanji Dreaming Aboriginal art, originally designed for Qantas Australia

Ndebele Martha Geometric art. By Martha Masanabo South Africa

Ndebele Emmly Similar to Ndebele Martha, by Emmly Masanabo South Africa

Paithani Textile print India

Pause to remember Poppy design, used around Remembrance Day. Now applied to fuselage United Kingdom

Rendezvous Chinese calligraphy Hong Kong

Spring Images of Romania Romania

Sterntaler/Bauhaus Antje Brüggemann's 3-D 'ceramic objects' art Germany

Teaming up for Britain Adopted for 2000 Summer Olympics, features British Olympic Association logo United Kingdom

Wunala Dreaming Like Nalanji Dreaming, this livery was designed for Qantas Australia

Water Dreaming Art representing northern Australian terrain Australia

Waves and Cranes/Nami Tsuru Montage of a Japanese artist's depictions of waves and cranes Japan

Waves of the City/Floating Simple and modern United States

Whale Rider From wood carving representing the whaling tradition of the artist's community Canada

Wings Representing seagulls in flight Denmark

Youm al-Suq Arab market Saudi Arabia

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