Originally Posted by
davidjohnson6
Every now and again, a major airline will decide to paint one of its aircraft in a livery dating back maybe 50 years.
Clearly aircraft need to be repainted on a regular basis to keep up a polished image and avoid passengers linking peeling/fading paint with poor quality aircraft maintenance.
Yes the spotter side of me likes seeing the odd retro livery but there is presumably a higher cost for the paint shop to use a retro livery rather than the standard livery and there is a risk some passengers will think that a 50 year old aircraft is still being used. Most passengers don't spend much time spotting or looking at aircraft photos.
So why do airlines choose to paint aircraft in retro livery ? Some senior manager presumably has to authorise the cost and non-standard image. "Because it looks pretty" probably isn't a sufficiently good reason for the deviation from normal corporate process.
Interesting that commercial aviation is not alone in occasionally recognising significant 'heritage' moments whilst strengthening it's current brand image.
GBrf the rail freight company has finished its final Class 66 loco delivery in the Brunswick Green livery of steam loco Standard Class 9F 'Evening Star' a type that hauled heavy freight and was the final steam loco built in Britain.
The 9F now resides in the NRM York where it may be joined in forty years by the American built diesel loco, which according to press reports has already been gifted for future preservation.
I guess it will outlive most of today's airliners too.