airBaltic unveils competition-winning livery on 50th Airbus A220-300: images   

airBaltic has unveiled a specially designed livery for the carrier’s soon-to-be-delivered 50th Airbus A220-300 at the planemaker’s Mirabel final assembly plant in Canada. The livery is the result of a competition launched by the Latvian-based carrier in November 2023. The airline invited members of the public, its frequent flyer community, as well as individual artists, designers, and other creative talents to design a special bespoke external color scheme to adorn the carrier’s 50th A220-300. The aircraft is now structurally complete and is due to be delivered to the airline in February 2025.

The competition attracted a total of 840 entries, and following a voting process involving over 28,000 airBaltic Club loyalty program members, 21 designs were shortlisted. Rights to the top three designs were all acquired by airBaltic, with the winning design receiving over 30% of the total shortlisted design votes. The winner will not only have their design adorned across airBaltic’s latest Airbus A220-300 but will also receive a €3,000 ($3,278) gift certificate to use on the airline. 

airBalticAccording to a statement issued by airBaltic, the aircraft (which will be registered YL-ABX upon delivery) features “an artistic portrayal of the Latvian flag and unique livery elements representing all three Baltic States – Latvia, Estonia, and Lithuania.” The color scheme incorporates sweeping green and red lines along the fuselage, with the wingtips and engine cowlings retaining the standard airBaltic green hue.

The statement adds that “The striking livery portrays an artistic depiction of a girl soaring through the clouds with long, 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 rich 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.”

airBalticThe painting of this A220-300 livery was completed over 18 days. “A total of 21 colors were used to bring the one-off design to life, and for the first time, a stencil overlay technique was used to layer colors by the Airbus A220 paintshop teams in Mirabel,” said Airbus.

“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,” said Martin Gauss, President and CEO of airBaltic. “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.”

“airBaltic continues to lead the aviation industry in the Baltics, and with this rich culture in mind, we wanted the livery to reflect a glimpse of all the beauty the three Baltic nations have to offer. Every time this aircraft will take to the skies, it will proudly carry a small part of the Baltic spirit with it,” Gauss added.

airBaltic“airBaltic is currently the largest A220 customer in Europe and the largest A220-300 operator in the world,” said Benoît Schultz, CEO of Airbus Canada. The airline put its trust in the A220, the most efficient aircraft in its size category, with a spacious cabin driving the best ‘Net Promoter Scores’ with passengers. Airbus products are defined by innovation so they can connect the world most efficiently. Thanks to our A220s around the world, more than 160 million passengers have been connected thus far.”

The aircraft will become the carrier’s latest A220-300 to wear a special livery, following other fleet members that wear liveries based on the national flags of the three Baltic states  – Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia. The airline has 49 active A220-300 in its fleet with an average age of 4.3 years. Each accommodates 148 passengers in a single-class configuration.

The carrier operates a route network of over 130 routes from bases located in Riga, Tallinn, Vilnius, Tampere, and, seasonally, Gran Canaria, connecting the Baltic States with over 70 destinations across Europe, the Middle East, North Africa, and the Caucasus.

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