Photos: Etihad unveils new livery on Boeing 787, Airbus A380
By Chris C., September 28 2014
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 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 is a a former contributor to Executive Traveller.
Virgin Australia - Velocity Rewards
22 Apr 2013
Total posts 143
Federation Square? ;)
21 Apr 2012
Total posts 3012
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.
21 Apr 2012
Total posts 3012
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.
21 Apr 2012
Total posts 3012
What's disappointing?
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
02 Jul 2011
Total posts 1378
One also might say.
Blatant ripoff of JetBlue's Prism design.
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
02 Jul 2011
Total posts 1378
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 96
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 1245
Long live cubism!
12 Jun 2013
Total posts 735
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.
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 1245
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 444
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!
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 1245
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 1245
Sorry, can't do it.
09 Sep 2014
Total posts 54
Why not... It's absolutly hideous!
25 Sep 2013
Total posts 1245
I respectfully disagree.
09 Sep 2014
Total posts 54
Ok, could you then explain why you like it so much...
28 Oct 2011
Total posts 650
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 1245
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 38
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.
Hi Guest, join in the discussion on Photos: Etihad unveils new livery on Boeing 787, Airbus A380