After two weeks in a Dublin paint shop, the first B747 to be painted in a retro BOAC livery arrived back at Heathrow today. Simple Flying was on hand to welcome the aircraft back into service along with other invited members of the press. The aircraft operated under the flight number BA100 for the special flight to London.

This year marks the 100th anniversary of British Airways. This will be celebrated on August 25th 2019. Back in 1919, the Aircraft Transport and Travel Limited started to operate scheduled flights between London and Paris. While the original airline is no longer around, it became the starting block for a century of aviation which directly led to British Airways.

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BA100 comes into land at Heathrow following its flight from Dublin. Photo: Tom Boon/Simple Flying

Retro Livery

The B747 was repainted into a retro BOAC Livery. The livery was previously applied to B747-100s owned by British Airways. A team looked through archive images of the original livery to recreate it for this aircraft. Special attention had to be taken to scale it appropriately as the hump on the B747-400 is much longer than that of its predecessor.

Where Can I See It?

The aircraft will make its maiden passenger service in its new livery tomorrow (19th February 2019). It will fly to New York, which was the first route originally travelled by a B747 in a BOAC livery. It will operate BA117 which is scheduled to depart London at 0825 local time. It is due to arrive in New York at 1130 local time.

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British Airways staff welcome the aircraft to London. Photo: Tom Boon/Simple Flying

Don’t worry if you can’t see the special livery tomorrow though. British Airways has stated that the special livery will remain on the B747 until it is retired from service in 2023. It won’t just fly on the route to New York either. It will be rotated around different British Airways B747 routes to give as many people as possible the chance to see it.

After the flight to New York, the jet is reportedly scheduled to fly to Chicago on Wednesday (20th Feb) and Lagos on Thursday (21st Feb).

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Two British Airways 747 aircraft, one with special BOAC retro livery. The aircraft will stay in its retro livery until it is retired in 2023. Photo: Tom Boon/Simple Flying

Incredibly Proud

Alex Cruz, CEO of British Airways told that he was incredibly proud of the new livery. He told the press: “The enormous interest we’ve had in this project demonstrates the attachment many people have to British Airways’ history. It’s something we are incredibly proud of, so in our centenary year, it’s a pleasure to be celebrating our past while also looking to the future. We look forward to many more exciting moments like this as our other aircraft with heritage designs enter service.”

How do you think the Queen of the Skies looks in her retro livery? Let us know in the comments down below!