You've probably heard of petitions being started within the aviation industry to save jobs, call for better work contracts, or to salvage a beloved aircraft. And now, a petition has been created to protect a special livery from being repainted, as aviation enthusiasts are asking Alaska Airlines to keep the Salmon Thirty Salmon livery flying.

The Salmon Thirty Salmon livery: A flying salmon

Imagine a Boeing 737 painted to look like a fish - because that's essentially what the Salmon Thirty Salmon livery is. Alaska Airlines first revealed the original rendition of the Salmon Thirty Salmon livery on its Boeing 737-400 registered N792AS in October 2005, when the narrowbody aircraft sported a giant Alaska King Salmon covering its fuselage and tail.

The special livery became one of the world's most intricate paintings on an aircraft. It resulted from a dedicated team of approximately 30 painters working nearly non-stop for 24 days on the Boeing 737-400. Alaska Airlines then got the name Salmon Thirty Salmon in reference to a fluke incident in 1987, when one of its Boeing 737-200 got hit by a fish dropped by a passing Bald Eagle.

However, N792AS and the original Salmon Thirty Salmon livery were subsequently painted over in 2011. Knowing that aviation enthusiasts were big fans of the special livery, Alaska Airlines went on to paint one of its Boeing 737-800s in a second rendition, known as the Salmon Thirty Salmon II livery.

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The possible end of the flying salmon

And the lucky Boeing 737-800 selected to bear the unique livery was N559AS, and its fishy look was revealed in October 2012. When comparing the two renditions, the Salmon Thirty Salmon II sported a longer Alaska King salmon at approximately 129 feet long, with the 'Alaska' painted in a salmon-pink color across the fuselage instead of the previous white.

Besides having a second rendition for aviation enthusiasts to enjoy, Alaska Airlines' Salmon Thirty Salmon II livery was also produced in partnership with the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute, which promotes wild, natural, and sustainable Alaskan seafood.

However, the end for N559AS and the Salmon Thirty Salmon II livery seems to be coming after more than a decade, as Alaska Airlines will be painting over the giant fish and replacing it. At this time of writing, the oneworld alliance member has yet to respond about what will be repainted over Salmon Thirty Salmon II or if there are plans for a third rendition of the special livery.

An attempt to save the flying salmon

The unfortunate news did break the hearts of several aviation enthusiasts worldwide, especially since it has been heavily rumored within the community that Alaska Airlines has zero plans to boast a Salmon Thirty Salmon III on its Boeing 737 MAXs. Argued as one of the best and most creative aircraft liveries out there, aviation enthusiasts are fighting to keep the salmon flying.

Besides using social media to attract the attention of Alaska Airlines, aviation enthusiasts also created a petition on Change.org two days ago, and it has now garnered over 360 out of 500 signatures. They hope that with enough traction, Alaska Airlines will see how vital and well-loved the Salmon Thirty Salmon livery is and might be more open to having a third rendition on its new-generation aircraft.

Love a special livery? Check out some more here!

However, despite the increasing signatures and voices from the community, there are still some skeptics that Alaska Airlines might turn a deaf ear and prove such efforts to be futile. But despite the uncertainty, aviation enthusiasts are still willing to try whatever it takes to save Salmon Thirty Salmon.

Do you think the Salmon Thirty Salmon livery should be saved? Tell us in the comments below.

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  Alaska Airlines

  IATA/ICAO Code:

  AS/ASA

  Airline Type:

  Full Service Carrier

  Hub(s):

  Anchorage International Airport, Los Angeles International Airport, Portland International Airport, San Francisco International Airport, Seattle-Tacoma International Airport

  Year Founded:

  1932

  Alliance:

  oneworld

  CEO:

  Ben Minicucci

  Country:

  United States

  Region:

  North America