The Latvian flag carrier airBaltic has unveiled its 50th Airbus A220-300 aircraft, which has been freshly painted at Airbus’ facility in Mirabel, Canada.
The aircraft features an artistic portrayal of the Latvian flag and unique livery elements representing all three of the Baltic states – Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania.
In late 2023, airBaltic launched an exciting design contest, inviting global participation in creating the livery for its milestone 50th Airbus A220-300. A total of 840 entries were submitted and following voting by over 28 000 airBaltic Club loyalty program members, 21 designs were shortlisted.
The top three designs all were acquired by airBaltic and represented national or Baltic region heritage, with the winning design receiving over 30% of the total shortlisted design votes.
This striking livery portrays an artistic depiction of a girl soaring through the clouds with flowing hair crowned by a traditional wreath and proudly featuring the Latvian flag. The design also incorporates several other elements that are inspired by the heritage and nature of the Baltic region – a ladybug, a swallow, and a stork. The final sketch of the design was modified and redesigned by airBaltic to meet the technical requirements of the aircraft.
Martin Gauss, president and CEO of airBaltic commented: “More than eight years ago, we became the global launch operator of the Airbus A220-300, and over the years, this aircraft type has become the backbone of our operations. This milestone aircraft marks the completion of our initial aircraft order and brings us halfway to our goal of operating a single-type fleet of 100 A220-300s and doubling in size by 2030.”
The painting of this A220-300 livery was completed over an 18-day period. A total of 21 colours were used to bring this design to life, and for the first time ever, a stencil overlay technique was used to layer colours by the Airbus A220 paint shop teams in Mirabel.
This special aircraft is set to join the airline’s fleet from February 2025.