Earlier this month, Finnair was in the news following the launch of its latest special livery. Specifically, it has added a Moomin-themed design to two of its Airbus A350s, to celebrate its upcoming 100th anniversary. The characters were devised by Finnish writer and illustrator Tove Jansson, and are now well-known worldwide. However, did you know that Finnair also had a similar livery on two MD-11s?

The first example to receive such a scheme

According to data from Planespotters.net, the first of Finnair's McDonnell Douglas MD-11 aircraft to have Moomin characters applied to its fuselage bore the registration OH-LGC. This trijet was built in January of 1993, and data from ATDB.aero shows that it was delivered to Finnair brand-new the following month.

Its first special livery was a Santa Claus scheme, which reflects the Finnish flag carrier's status as the 'Official Airline of Santa Claus.' It has held this title since 1993. OH-LGC first received this livery between October 1995 and January 1996, before switching to the Moomin scheme from June 1998 to November 1999.

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Following this, it is said that the aircraft alternated between a Santa Claus-themed livery in the winter and the Moomin scheme during the summer months. It was repurposed as a cargo aircraft in 2010, and left Finnair for Nordic Global Airlines a year later. 2015 saw it move to Western Global Airlines as N512JN, and data from FlightRadar24.com shows that it last flew in January 2023.

Another MD-11 followed

Curiously, the second Finnair Mcdonnell Douglas MD-11 to receive a Moomin-themed livery was an older aircraft than the first one to do so. Indeed, OH-LGB had come to the Helsinki-Vantaa Airport (HEL) based oneworld carrier just over a year earlier, arriving in December of 1991 having been built the previous month.

However, according to data from ATDB.aero, it didn't receive a Moomin paint scheme until the 21st century, with May 2006 reportedly seeing this happen for the first time. Once again, it alternated somewhat with a Santa Claus livery in the winter, and Planespotters.net shows that it reverted to the Moomin scheme in 2008.

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After just under two decades at Finnair, OH-LGB left the Finnish flag carrier to, much like OH-LGC, be converted for use in the cargo sector. However, this section of its career was short-lived, as it only served World Airways as N269WA from October 2010 to February 2012 before being withdrawn and scrapped in Victorville.

Finnair's MD-11 fleet in a nutshell

According to data from ch-aviation.com, Finnair operated a grand total of seven passenger-carrying McDonnell Douglas MD-11 aircraft over the years. Registered from OH-LGA through to OH-LGG, these three-engine widebodies arrived at Finland's national airline between 1990 and 2005, and left between 2008 and 2010.

Did you know that Finnair used to fly Moomin-liveried McDonnell Douglas MD-11s? Perhaps you even traveled on one yourself back in the day? Let us know your thoughts and experiences in the comments!

Sources: ATDB.aero, ch-aviation.com, Flightradar24.com, Planespotters.net

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  Finnair

  IATA/ICAO Code:

  AY/FIN

  Airline Type:

  Full Service Carrier

  Hub(s):

  Helsinki Airport

  Year Founded:

  1923

  Alliance:

  oneworld

  CEO:

  Topi Manner

  Country:

  Finland