Star Alliance launches new aircraft livery, Asiana Airlines to premiere bold design

Asiana Airlines will become the first airline to showcase an airplane with the new Star Alliance promotional aircraft livery when the Korean carrier officially joins The Airline Network for Earth in March, 2003. With the Star Alliance name painted in bold letters across a white fuselage and the familiar alliance logo covering the full vertical stabilizer, the aircraft will serve as a flying billboard on Asiana’s extensive route network.

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The new design was approved today at a meeting of the alliance’s Chief Executive Board in Rio de Janeiro and will be implemented by all member airlines. Each airline is going to paint at least one aircraft with the new livery. The operating carrier will be identified by its logo located on the forward part of the aircraft fuselage below the Star Alliance name. 

“Member airlines promote the Star Alliance brand through a variety of channels, one of them being the aircraft exterior,” said Jaan Albrecht, Chief Executive Officer of Star Alliance. “Our promotional livery designs have been in circulation since the beginning of the alliance. The expansion of our extensive network with the joining of new members gave us a great opportunity to look at a new promotional livery. The design which has been endorsed by the Chief Executive Board is a cost efficient, simple solution which embraces the brand values and personality of the alliance.” 

Star Alliance is the only airline alliance that consistently displays a promotional aircraft livery. The flying billboards, featuring Star Alliance’s unique symbol, are highly visible at airports and in the air, and serve to build Star Alliance awareness and stature around the world. 

Starting in March, the Star Alliance member airlines will implement the new design in a phased approach timed with scheduled maintenance or repair, or delivery of new aircraft. 

Star Alliance was established in May, 1997 as the first truly global airline alliance to provide customers the benefits of global reach and a smooth travel experience. The member airlines are Air Canada, Air New Zealand, ANA All Nippon Airways, Austrian Airlines, bmi, Lauda Air, Lufthansa German Airlines, Mexicana Airlines, SAS Scandinavian Airlines, Singapore Airlines, Thai Airways International, Tyrolean Airways, United Airlines and VARIG Brazilian Airlines. 

Asiana Airlines of South Korea, LOT Polish Airlines and Spanair of Spain will join Star Alliance during the first half of 2003. The future member carriers will further strengthen the Star Alliance network which currently serves 729 airports in 124 countries with almost 11,000 daily flights.