Icelandair Officially Reveals New Livery

Icelandair Officially Reveals New Livery

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Several weeks back images leaked of Icelandair’s new livery. The airline has today formally revealed its new livery. It’s very similar to what we’re seeing from other airlines, with one twist…

A look at Icelandair’s new livery

Icelandair has revealed an update to the carrier’s livery, which is the first full livery redesign in over 15 years, since 2006. This is part of a planned complete refresh of the Icelandair brand. As it’s described, this rebranding is intended to “find new, refreshing ways to bring the spirit of Iceland to the world.”

With the new livery, Icelandair will have a total of five different tail colors, representing different phenomena in Icelandic nature. These include the following:

  • Boreal blue
  • Magenta
  • Sky blue
  • Yellow
  • Green
Three Icelandair Boeing 737 MAXs in new livery

As far as the overall color palette being used goes, here’s how that’s described:

  • The midnight blue is the heritage color and the backdrop to the dancing auroras
  • The snow white represents glaciers
  • The boreal blue is a representation of the northern lights
  • The magenta signifies the collective creative power of Iceland, with just a hint of sunrise
  • The crisp blue is the Icelandic summer sky that’s filled with light
  • The golden yellow is the sun reflecting off waterfalls, glaciers, and even simmering magma
  • The green represents the life that can be found even after the harshest of events

For some more details on the timeline of planes being repainted:

  • TF-ICE, a Boeing 737 MAX 8 named Jökulsárlón, is the first plane to feature the new livery; it was painted in mid-January, and arrived at Keflavik International Airport today (Friday, January 28, 2022)
  • By the end of February 2022, Icelandair plans to have five Boeing 737 MAX aircraft in the new livery in service
  • The rest of the fleet will be repainted according to the maintenance schedule of each airplane
Icelandair Boeing 737 MAX in new livery

How does this compare to Icelandair’s old livery?

For context, Icelandair’s previous livery used yellow prominently, including on the engines and tail. That will no longer be the case with the new livery. As you can see, the engines will also be painted in blue, and the “ICELANDAIR” name will be written in much bigger font. Furthermore, the carrier’s logo on the tail will start to show a white flag (I think that’s what that is?) on a blue background, rather than a yellow flag on a blue background.

Icelandair’s current livery

In the avgeek world, we’re almost always averse to liveries being changed. Sometimes the liveries grow on us over time, while other times they don’t. I will say that I think Icelandair’s old livery is more visually interesting and also still looks modern. Maybe the new livery will grow on me over time.

Bottom line

Icelandair has officially unveiled its new livery. The first plane with the new livery arrived in Iceland today, and it’s expected that a total of five Boeing 737 MAX aircraft will feature the new livery by the end of February 2022.

The new livery pretty much follows the industry trend, though one unique element is that different planes will have different accent colors on the tails, as there are five to choose from. Personally I prefer Icelandair’s old livery… I think.

What do you make of Icelandair’s new livery?

Conversations (42)
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  1. Sean Leonard Guest

    Copy/Paste of Ryanair.... Thought they'd come up with something more original.... Its cheap looking!

  2. KATA Gold

    Very disappointed with this livery... it looks cheap and reminds me a lot of RYANAIR. Doesn't really make any meaningful selling points compared to PLAY.

    1. Always Flying Somewhere Guest

      Took the words right out of my mouth.

  3. Adam Guest

    Hope they still paint at least one in the northern lights livery! It's stunning.

  4. Lefteris H Guest

    More and more airlines are choosing the blue thrust reversers on the engines. These look great until you have to borrow one that isn't. I always pay attention to details of aircraft at the gate and like my plane to look shiny and as advertised.

  5. Robert Guest

    Losing the yellow was a fantastic idea

  6. Fred Guest

    I would much rather they improved service and reduced fees than waste money on fixing something that does nothing for the traveling public. There is so much wrong with air travel now, why not spend money om improving the experience.

  7. ConcordeBoy Diamond

    So duplicative and in dearth of imagination.

    What kills me is that some design firm probably got $1million+ for this....

  8. polarbear Guest

    Looks too much like United

  9. GBOAC Diamond

    I'm now convinced there is but a single branding company that updates (unlikely that is the correct word) airline liveries for all airlines. They design a white body with the airline name in large block letters down the side of the fuselage. And a solid painted tail that flows in to the rear of the fuselage.
    No imagination or creativity at all:-(

  10. Reed Guest

    It’s pleasant enough - I would have liked to see the engines painted in the accent color too. The old livery’s yellow engines were one of the defining features, makes the plane much more identifiable from a distance.

  11. derek Guest

    The new one is pleasant but the old one is more attractive. The new lettering is a little too big.

  12. Ben Guest

    I hope they still keep TF-FIU in the Aurora Borealis livery.

  13. red_robbo Guest

    I think I do quite like look of them, but why do airlines always come out with such marketing agency b*ll*cks when making their announcements?
    Why don't they just say they fancied a change, and leave it at that?

  14. Cody Guest

    I think it might look great although we have only seen a glimpse of the full livery, so maybe it is to early to be so judgmental. Change is good. Refreshing a brand makes a statement.

  15. Brianair Guest

    My initial reaction was “What the?!” Hopefully this isn’t more than a mistimed April Fool’s joke. Literally Lufthansa all over again. The epitome of “if it ain’t broke don’t fix it.” The current livery on the 757s and 767s was perfect (except for writing out “Icelandair” on the tail). It’s sad seeing Icelandair dump an identity that clearly reflected their more premium status, compared to WOW or PLAY, in favor of a RYANAIR look.

    1. Wilhelm Guest

      I always found the old Lufthansa livery dull and boring, and the current one is an improvement in my eyes. As with anything concerning taste it’s wholly subjective.

  16. Roedolf Eksteen Guest

    It looks now very much like a lcc, really a bad idea, almost as bad as the world tails from BA.

  17. Giovanni Guest

    The tail reminds me the F from Finnair...

  18. Ryan Guest

    It would be criminal if they paint over Hekla Aurora with this new livery. IcelandAir, please don't, I beg you.

  19. Ed Guest

    Nice that they are paying homage to all the failed Icelandic transatlantic LCCs with their colour accents on the tail

  20. Mike K Guest

    I like it, yet I don't. I like the large "Icelandair" on the fuselage (tough to see the font). On the other hand, while I like the idea of the different colors, it looks a little "clunky" here, and I don't like the white logo on the tail, it just looks a little flat and dull when compared to the yellow in the previous scheme. Maybe if the logo was done in the multiple signature colors with the previous shading?

  21. STeve Guest

    Oops I thought the plane said RYANAIR !
    Oh wait it says ICELANDAIR
    Hmmm...it does look a lot like RYANIAR ....

  22. Mark Andrew Guest

    I'm dumbfounded that people can find this an improvement. It's horrendous! It screams cheap and classless.

    1. Olive Guest

      Maybe improving the service would be better.

  23. Grey Diamond

    I think it is an improvement. The tails look particularly nice.

  24. Michael Guest

    I’m pretty sure the “flag” logo is a stylized “F” for “Flugleidum Íslands,” which is the airline’s original name in Icelandic. (The “d” in that word is supposed to be the letter “eth” which had a hard “th” sound.) Anyway, it also has always been drawn this way—I think—to resemble the prow of a Viking ship. SAS had a livery in the 1980s with a similar motif.

    Not sure I care for the new livery, though. Too much like Ryanair.

    1. Ben Guest

      Ah! Now I know why their IATA code is FI. Meanwhile Finnair, which seems like it should be, is AY (which is from their original name Aero Yhtiö, which means Air Company). Interesting history behind some of those abbreviations.

    2. Michael Guest

      I need to correct myself: the airline’s original name was “Flugfélag Íslands.” The word “fligleidum” means “air routes” or “flights,” but “flugfélag” means “airline.” They use the Icelandic name on many of their domestic jet-prop aircraft.

    3. tipsyinmadras Diamond

      Domestic flights were operated under the Flugfélag Íslands name between 1997 and 2017 after which the subsidiary was rebranded "Air Iceland Connect". In 2021 it was absorbed into the Icelandair brand.

  25. Justin Guest

    Yes, the large dark blue block letters on the fuselage remind me of Ryanair as well, which is not a good image for an airline. I think the tail with the different colors is an improvement. I've never been a big fan of the main logo though as I thought it was too generic. I wouldn't have minded something completely different.

  26. John T Guest

    It makes the airline look like a budget carrier.

    Very Ryanair.

  27. Greg Guest

    Tails cool but the fuselage looks cheap and garish

    Let’s see if it gets the cool recepton of BAs late 90s diversity tails

  28. David Guest

    These look horrible. The old one was classic, distinctive, and instantly recognizable.

  29. Endre Guest

    Hm, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. The new livery looks generic and boring.
    I liked their northern lights livery very much.

  30. Phillip Guest

    Very Ryanair/Malta Air!

  31. Chrid Guest

    I’d assume the logo was meant to look like a stylized aurora as opposed to a flag

  32. SMR Guest

    Those are some awful looking airplanes.

  33. DENDAVE Guest

    Any word if they'll be keeping or even adding to the special liveries they have (like the northern light one)?

Featured Comments Most helpful comments ( as chosen by the OMAAT community ).

The comments on this page have not been provided, reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any advertiser, and it is not an advertiser's responsibility to ensure posts and/or questions are answered.

GBOAC Diamond

I'm now convinced there is but a single branding company that updates (unlikely that is the correct word) airline liveries for all airlines. They design a white body with the airline name in large block letters down the side of the fuselage. And a solid painted tail that flows in to the rear of the fuselage. No imagination or creativity at all:-(

1
Michael Guest

I need to correct myself: the airline’s original name was “Flugfélag Íslands.” The word “fligleidum” means “air routes” or “flights,” but “flugfélag” means “airline.” They use the Icelandic name on many of their domestic jet-prop aircraft.

1
Ben Guest

Ah! Now I know why their IATA code is FI. Meanwhile Finnair, which seems like it should be, is AY (which is from their original name Aero Yhtiö, which means Air Company). Interesting history behind some of those abbreviations.

1
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