Photos: Etihad unveils new livery on Boeing 787, Airbus A380

By Chris C., September 28 2014
Photos: Etihad unveils new livery on Boeing 787, Airbus A380

Etihad has revealed the new livery of its Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner fleet in Seattle.

This rendering of a skyborne 787 provides a better glimpse of the asymmetrical livery from tip to tail, including some of the darker sections at the rear underbelly.

Watch a concept video of the Gulf carrier's new-look Dreamliner in flight:

Etihad has signed up for 41 of the Boeing 787-9 and 30 of the stretched 787-10.

It's the same modern design which appeared last week on the airline's first A380 aircraft at the Airbus facility in Hamburg, Germany.

The elegant yet eye-catching livery will be applied across all of Etihad's fleet over the next three years.

Dubbed 'Facets of Abu Dhabi', it combines a colour palette representing the desert landscapes of the UAE with geometric patterns and shapes which take their inspiration from Abu Dhabi's modern architecture.

Just like Etihad's new cabins and interiors, it's a contemporary design which you'd expect more from a chic boutique hotel than an airline.

Etihad CEO James Hogan describes the new look as "a real divergence from the norms of traditional airline livery design".

Here's a short video on the new Etihad livery.

This modern make-over also picks up key colours – including copper, caramel, slate, sand and cream –  featured in the UAE emblem of Etihad's current livery, as seen below in this early A380 promotional photo.

(In the new livery, the UAE national emblem has been relocated from the tail onto the fuselage next to the Etihad brand.)

Of course, those colour cues also pick up the rich interior colour scheme of The Residence and The Apartments, the lush first class suites of the Airbus A380.

The Residence: Living Room
The Residence: Living Room
The Apartment: First class suite
The Apartment: First class suite

Read: Etihad's new Airbus A380 first class suites

Naturally, those same tones are repeated in the Boeing 787's bespoke First Suites.

Read: Etihad's new Boeing 787 first class suites revealed

Etihad's Airbus A380 makes its debut between Abu Dhabi and London Heathrow in December, with Dusseldorf to follow on the Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner.

Australian travellers can catch Etihad's Airbus A380 from June 1 2015, when it graces Sydney's skies direct from Abu Dhabi.

Chris Chamberlin travelled to Hamburg as a guest of Etihad.

Follow Australian Business Traveller on Twitter – we're @AusBT

Chris C.

Chris is a a former contributor to Executive Traveller.

Virgin Australia - Velocity Rewards

22 Apr 2013

Total posts 143

Federation Square? ;)

OMG!  That's what I said! LOL

Etihad, you're seriously blowing me away! 

Very sexy. Very sexy indeed!

Virgin Australia - Velocity Rewards

22 Apr 2013

Total posts 143

Agreed. I'm a fan of it too - but the first place my mind went was to Federation Square! LOL.

True but I was referring to an earlier post when the new cabins were showcased, where I said that EY should consider changing their livery and get rid off the tail motif!

Virgin Australia - Velocity Rewards

22 Apr 2013

Total posts 143

Oh yes. The Gaddafi-Libyaesque comment that made me LOL ;)

Singapore Airlines - KrisFlyer

14 Jan 2014

Total posts 340

Well the UAE is a Federation... But I know that's not what you mean 

09 Sep 2012

Total posts 139

A disappointing comment. It's an aircraft, not a tart.

What's disappointing?

Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer

02 Jul 2011

Total posts 1374

One also might say.

Blatant ripoff of JetBlue's Prism design.

Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer

02 Jul 2011

Total posts 1374

JetBlue blog on its tail design

https://blog.jetblue.com/index.php/2013/10/03/facet-nating-new-tail-design/

22 Jul 2011

Total posts 95

Good pick up. Completely agree it's a rip-off

Virgin Australia - Velocity Rewards

22 Apr 2013

Total posts 143

I wouldn't say it's a 'rip-off', so much. I think it's just becoming a fairly commonplace design now. I note that PTV in Victoria are using this design in different colour variants on all trams (greens), busses (oranges) and trains (blues).

Hell... even Gotye used the design in the video clip for his song Somebody That I Used to Know :)

25 Sep 2013

Total posts 1242

Long live cubism!

12 Jun 2013

Total posts 732

It's a bit of a Melbourne trademark at the moment. As well as Federation Square we have the Melboure City Council logo, the PTV, and also the Bank of Melbourne using it. 

Fun mathematical fact: the geometry (used in the Fed Square tiling at least) is called Pinwheel tiling, and it's a way of non-periodically tiling an entire plane with triangles so that the tiles appear in infinitely many orientations. 

PVM
PVM

04 Jul 2013

Total posts 22

I think this is a throw off making us think it's a special livery. I have heard Etihad is planning a whole new livery & corporate image in line with them receiving the new aircraft.

25 Sep 2013

Total posts 1242

That would be exciting.

20 Oct 2011

Total posts 77

Better than the standard tail, the logo reminds me of arch villain KAOS from Get Smart. 

Look  it up, people.

Virgin Australia - Velocity Rewards

19 Feb 2014

Total posts 439

After the info that the AUH-PER route is doing so well, hopefully we get to see an upgrade to the 789 to see it!

PVM
PVM

04 Jul 2013

Total posts 22

I have heard that Etihad will be launching a whole new re-branding within the coming months including new livery for all their aircraft (not just the A380/787).

I have noticed all the marketing for EY has also started to change with the new imaging over in Abu Dhabi.

29 Apr 2014

Total posts 22

Here's hoping the A380 is on track for a June start out of Sydney. I'm about to book a points redemption very soon so hopefully there are no delays. And there shouldn't be given the A380 hasn't been excatly flying out the door (pardon the pun) with all the cancelled orders...

Virgin Australia - Velocity Rewards

05 Nov 2013

Total posts 15

Well they did just recently become sponsors of Melbourne City FC. Maybe it is commemorative of Federation Square. lol

 

Kinda reminds me of Azul (Brazil) though. 

Virgin Australia - Velocity Rewards

20 Jan 2014

Total posts 4

Looks great!  Can't wait to see it in Australia!

Well done EY!

Virgin Australia - Velocity Frequent Flyer

28 May 2011

Total posts 81

''It's a bit like being offered the bike before you are offered the BMW,'' - Alan Joyce on choosing Emirates over Etihad.

This looks pretty good for a bike!

25 Sep 2013

Total posts 1242

GORGEOUS.

09 Apr 2014

Total posts 11

Love it!!!!

09 Sep 2014

Total posts 54

Please agree with me that this is a very disappointing livery.

25 Sep 2013

Total posts 1242

Sorry, can't do it. 

09 Sep 2014

Total posts 54

Why not... It's absolutly hideous!

25 Sep 2013

Total posts 1242

I respectfully disagree.

09 Sep 2014

Total posts 54

Ok, could you then explain why you like it so much...

undertheradar Banned
undertheradar Banned

28 Oct 2011

Total posts 645

i agree planemad..doesnt do it for me..lacks a 'soul'..it 'says' nothing!!..and the 'etihad' font (the roundness) clashes with the geometric 'edges'...its like the front half of one a/c was attached to the back half of another

09 Sep 2014

Total posts 54

I like you Undert, you at least out of everybody have some sense... (unlike everybody else).

Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer

11 Aug 2014

Total posts 51

oh nice

25 Sep 2013

Total posts 1242

Looks even better on the B787.

09 Aug 2013

Total posts 2

Interesting fact. The design agency that design the City of Melbourne logo has also designed Etihad's new livery. I'm guessing they are obsessed with geometric patterns. I'm not a fan of the new livery. However I know that it I will enjoy viewing it the near future, like I did with the new Virgin Australia rebranding livery. It's looks abit too plane, the designers should've continued the geometric patterns within each triangle, so that it gives an illustional effect overall, similar to what FutureBrand has done to the American Airline flag on the tail. Very distinctive an modern 

Singapore Airlines - KrisFlyer

26 Jul 2012

Total posts 40

It's nice without being amazing! It does not represent EY as the National Carrier of the UAE, nor does it represent AUH!!?? Interiors, yes very stylish, but I would like to have seen what else Landor & Assoc had designed. James I think you have been looking at your new watch too long and the gold is in your eyes, maybe too close cause you're seeing squares!!!!  lol

27 Nov 2012

Total posts 2

I think this is the best looking livery that I've seen in a long time.


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