After announcing its new paint scheme weeks ago, SAS unveiled its first A350 already displaying the new livery. The aircraft, which is in its final testing phase at Airbus, is due to be delivered in the coming weeks and will be in service in January 2020.
Named ‘Ingegerd Viking’, the long-range twin-engine left the paintshop days ago and photographed in Toulouse with employees forming the “A350” designation.
SAS will receive eight A350s which, along with 80 A320neo, are to be the base of the Scandinavian airline’s fleet. According to the company, the goal is to reduce carbon emissions by at least 25% by 2030.
“The new livery design is a symbol of our future, the most sustainable and competitive future for SAS, but one that also embraces our heritage. Travelers from Scandinavia will recognize their home, while global travelers will encounter the renowned feeling of the Nordics, ”says Rickard Gustafson, President and CEO at SAS.
The company has only had four liveries since its founding in 1946. The first painting, which consisted of only a blue and red stripe with the coats of arms of Sweden, Denmark and Norway, and its full name – Scandinavian Airlines System -, lasted until 1983 when it was replaced by a striking livery that remained active for 15 years.
With a white background, the painting had as its differential the stripes on the bottom of the planes with the colors of the three countries and their coats of arms on the tail. The company’s name was shortened to “Scandinavian” in the fuselage, preserving the “SAS” acronym in the vertical stabilizer.
In 1998, the airline changed the scheme to a more sober look marked by the light gray fuselage paint. The tail became dark blue with the name “SAS” in white. The planes once again bore the name “Scandinavian Airlines” in barely noticeable silver. The engines were painted red and the coats of arms were square.
Highlight to blue
At the new livery, the airline decided to focus only on blue, which, according to research, was the color customers associated with it. The acronym “SAS” has taken the place of the company name on the fuselage and is now showing full size. The name “Scandinavian” is now inscribed on engines that display a narrow blue strip under a silver background.
The fuselage follows with a gray background and the name in silver, but the tail blue now extends to the fuselage. The flags of the three Nordic countries were stylized in bands and are the only brightly colored part of the fuselage.
The airline plans to complete the livery change by 2024, retiring the current paint scheme after 26 years.
