New Zealand’s national airline, Air New Zealand, has a distinct appearance for its aircraft, which reflects the country’s cultural background and sports teams. Unlike most airlines, Air New Zealand has opted for all-black aircraft. Air New Zealand’s chief transformation and alliances officer, Michael Williams, stated: “Black is an iconic Kiwi color. From sports jerseys to gumboots, black is embedded in New Zealand’s national identity and worn with pride.”
While the common color choice for airline fuselages globally is white, due to its cost-effectiveness and its ability to reflect sunlight, Air New Zealand chose black. According to Samuel Cowlishaw, a wholesale paint specialist, “in the grand scheme of things there’s not a big difference, really, but it is a slight difference due to the ingredients in white vs black paint.”
The airline introduced its first all-black aircraft, a Boeing 787-9, in 2013. This was part of a larger project to have each aircraft type in their fleet painted black. The design includes a white ‘silver fern,’ an emblem of New Zealand, along the aircraft tail. This move was not only to celebrate the nation’s identity but was also a partnership effort with Tourism New Zealand.
Air New Zealand’s choice for an all-black livery is symbolic and unique, making it the only airline to operate the same aircraft in black and white. The largest aircraft in their fleet, the Boeing 777-300ER, is also painted entirely in black and is noted as the largest aircraft commercially operated in that manner.
