Just in time for the 2021/2022 NFL football season, Allegiant Air has teamed up with the Las Vegas Raiders and painted one of its aircraft in Raider's livery. Introducing the plane at McCarran International Airport (LAS), Allegiant Air says that the plane's one-of-a-kind sleek silver and black livery is designed to capture the spirit of the Raider Nation.

If you are not an American football fan or have never heard of the Las Vegas Raiders, it is probably best to tell you a little bit about the franchise. Initially starting life as the Oakland Raiders in 1960, the team temporarily played in Los Angeles between 1983 and 1995 before moving back to Oakland.

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The Raiders move to Las Vegas

After years of failing to get the City of Oakland to renovate or replace the Oakland Coliseum, team owner Mark Davis started looking for a new home. Las Vegas seemed an ideal candidate with a population of over two million and no professional sports team. Adding to the allure was that the University of Las Vegas Nevada (UNLV) was looking to build a new stadium for its college football team.

Following negotiations with the State of Nevada and aided by casino mogul Sheldon Adelson it was agreed to build a $1.9 billion 65,000 seat stadium on 42 acres of land west of the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino. Before the stadium's opening and the Raider's first game in 2020, Las Vegas-based Allegiant Air agreed to pay $25 million a year for the stadium naming rights.

Allegiant is proud of its partnership

When speaking in a company statement about the 15-year-old Allegiant Air Airbus A319-100 and its football team themed livery, Allegiant's executive vice president and chief marketing officer Scott DeAngelo said:

"As football season rolls in this fall, we're thrilled to have 'The Autumn Wind' bring this stunning aircraft to Las Vegas for all fans to enjoy. As Las Vegas' hometown airline, we're incredibly proud of our partnership with our hometown team. This distinctive jet brings together signature elements of both our brands, combining them to showcase our shared community pride."

The one-of-a-kind paint theme that the aircraft has is meant to be a powerful presence in the Allegiant Air fleet. As the plane travels around the nation, taking Raiders fans to away games, it shows Allegiant Air is committed to Las Vegas and the community. The Raiders uniform's distinctive silver and black colors are incorporated in the traditional Allegiant Air livery with ribbons encircling the fuselage and the sunburst logo on the tail.

When speaking about the partnership with Allegiant Air and the specially painted Raiders livery Airbus, Las Vegas Raiders President Dan Ventrelle said:

"We are pleased and excited to expand our partnership with Allegiant through the addition of this Raiders-branded aircraft. Raider Nation and beyond is now able to travel to and from the Sports and Entertainment Capital of the World in style."

As the NFL season kicks off, Allegiant Air offers football fans exclusive travel packages that include airfare, hotel stays, and tickets to Raiders home games. Allegiant Air says that its Raiders-themed aircraft will be based in Southern Nevada and used to transport passengers to and from Las Vegas.

Having one of its planes painted in a football theme livery is appealing to the fans and shows how committed Allegiant Air is to the local community.

What do you think about the Raiders livery? Please tell us your thoughts in the comments.