Christmas Takes Flight: 10 Airlines with Holiday Liveries

The Christmas holidays bring out the festive spirit in everyone — including airlines! Over the years, airlines have embraced the season with cheerfully decorated aircraft, creating stunning Christmas-themed liveries to captivate passengers. These designs add magic to holiday travel, from reindeer-dressed planes to quirky surprises like Santa on the nose of a Boeing 737.

Who first decided to dress up an aeroplane for the holidays? Maybe it started with WWII bombers painting festive nose art, or perhaps the tradition began with airlines wanting to spread some Christmas cheer. By the early 1990s, however, airlines across the globe had embraced the idea, using seasonal liveries not only to spread joy but also to reinforce their brand identity. 

The tradition of decorating aircraft for the festive season has produced some truly memorable designs. While not all airlines have kept up the trend, their past efforts continue to spread holiday cheer throughout aviation history. Let’s have a look at some of the most memorable examples of Christmas-themed aircraft liveries that capture the spirit of the season! 

Finnair: Santa’s Official Airline

Finnair has long been synonymous with Christmas in the aviation world, setting a gold standard for festive aircraft liveries. In 1984, the airline solidified its connection to the holiday season by becoming “The Official Airline of Santa Claus,” a partnership that continues to this day. To mark this special designation, Finnair unveiled a McDonnell Douglas DC-9, featuring a cheerful depiction of Santa Claus and his reindeer-pulled sleigh soaring across the fuselage. This marked the beginning of a beloved tradition that has seen numerous Finnair aircraft transformed into flying symbols of Christmas.

Over the decades, Finnair continued to embrace the festive spirit, decorating several aircraft types with holiday-themed designs. In the 1990s, a McDonnell Douglas MD-11, a long-haul trijet known for its distinctive tail engine, sported a Christmas livery, bringing festive cheer to transatlantic and intercontinental routes. This demonstrated Finnair's commitment to extending the holiday spirit beyond its European network.

More recently, Finnair has utilized its Airbus A321 narrow-body aircraft for its Christmas liveries, bringing the festive designs to its European and shorter-haul routes. One particularly memorable design debuted for the 2017 holiday season. This livery featured a majestic reindeer, a creature deeply symbolic of Lapland and the Arctic region, prominently displayed alongside the greeting “Happy Holidays.” 

This design not only celebrated the airline’s enduring connection to Christmas but also highlighted its strong ties to Lapland, the mythical home of Santa Claus, further reinforcing Finnair’s unique brand identity during the holiday period. These special liveries are not merely cosmetic changes; they represent Finnair's commitment to providing a unique and memorable travel experience during the festive season, bringing a touch of Christmas magic to the skies.

British Airways’ Happy Christmas 

In 1994, British Airways joined the festive fun, adding its touch of Christmas cheer to the skies. The airline decorated a Boeing 737, a workhorse of its short-haul fleet, with a special holiday livery. The design went beyond simple text, incorporating colourful, childlike drawings that added a playful and heart-warming element. These drawings weren't created by professional designers but by two young winners of a competition held on the popular BBC children's television programme, Blue Peter. 

This collaboration with Blue Peter, a long-running show known for its creative projects and engagement with children, gave the initiative a unique charm and broadened its reach to a younger audience. The winning designs were carefully adapted and applied to the Boeing 737, transforming it into a flying Christmas card. The use of children's artwork added a personal touch and made the aircraft a memorable symbol of Christmas in the air.

Ryanair’s Festive Farewell to Santa

Ryanair, known for its often unconventional marketing strategies, also engaged with the Christmas spirit through festive aircraft liveries, particularly throughout the 1990s. In 1995, the airline took a more understated approach, adding a touch of Christmas whimsy by painting a Santa Claus hat and beard directly onto the nose of a Boeing 737. 

By 1997, Ryanair decided to amplify its festive efforts, opting for a more elaborate design. This time, a bright red bow, reminiscent of a Christmas present wrapping, was painted around the fuselage of a Boeing 737, creating a visually striking effect. Adding to the festive cheer, a cheerful depiction of Santa Claus was prominently featured on the aircraft's tail.

However, in 2005, Ryanair opted for a more humorous and controversial approach, marking what appeared to be a farewell to its dedicated Christmas livery tradition. The airline unveiled a cheeky design that depicted an unlucky Santa Claus seemingly having collided with the nose of a 737.

This particular design served as a humorous send-off to their previous festive liveries, marking a distinct shift away from more traditional Christmas themes. It's worth noting that while Ryanair has employed various special liveries since, they haven't revisited the dedicated Christmas themes of the 1990s, making this “unlucky Santa” design a memorable and somewhat iconic part of their history.

Compass Airlines: Santa’s Hat

Compass Airlines, a short-lived Australian carrier, brought a touch of festive spirit to the skies in 1992 with a simple yet charming Christmas livery. One of its McDonnell Douglas MD-80s was adorned with a bright red Santa hat painted near the tail, instantly giving the plane a cheerful, holiday-themed makeover.

Though Compass Airlines ceased operations within a few years this playful design remains a nostalgic highlight for aviation enthusiasts and passengers alike. The Santa hat livery captured the joy and whimsy of the season, showing how even a small touch could bring smiles to those on board and those spotting the plane on the ground. 

Air Ontario’s Reindeer Dash

In 1999, Air Ontario decided to take the Christmas spirit to new heights by transforming one of its Dash-8 turboprops into a reindeer. The design featured a bright red nose on the aircraft’s nose cone, reminiscent of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, with antler-like wingtips completing the look. 

The livery was a delightful surprise for passengers boarding flights during the holiday season and became an instant conversation starter wherever the plane landed. For many, seeing a reindeer take to the skies in aviation form was a unique and heart-warming reminder of the season’s cheer. 

Thomson Airways: Reindeer Ready 

In 2009, British charter airline Thomson Airways, now known as TUI, embraced the festive season with a creative livery on one of its Boeing 757s. The aircraft was adorned with reindeer antlers painted near the cockpit and the message “Merry Christmas” ornamented on the fuselage, spreading holiday cheer to passengers and aviation enthusiasts alike.

This playful livery wasn’t just popular with passengers; it also became a social media favourite, showcasing the airline’s commitment to creating memorable travel experiences. Though temporary, Thomson Airways’ “Reindeer Ready” aircraft captured the light-hearted joy of the holiday season and is fondly remembered by those who spotted it in action.

Air Berlin: Flying Home for Christmas 

During the 2010s, Air Berlin became a leader in festive aviation, thanks to its beloved “Flying Home for Christmas” campaign. Starting in 2012, the airline unveiled a new Christmas-themed livery each year, featuring intricate designs that included snowflakes, Christmas trees, festive greetings, and Santa Claus motifs. These liveries turned ordinary flights into holiday experiences, delighting passengers and onlookers alike.

The latest edition of the #FlyingHomeForChristmas series featured a special design for an Airbus A320, created in collaboration with Swiss chocolatier Lindt. This festive livery blended holiday cheer with Lindt’s signature elegance, showcasing a playful design with a nose art depicting a tongue licking its lips and  Santa Claus portrayed in sunglasses and headphones. 

The campaign also included seasonal treats onboard, enhancing the festive experience. Sadly, the tradition ended with Air Berlin’s closure in 2017, but its unique and creative holiday liveries remain a beloved memory in aviation history.

Alaska Airlines: The Gift of Travel

Alaska Airlines has a tradition of embracing the holiday spirit with festive aircraft liveries. One notable example is their “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Planedeer,” a Boeing 737 adorned with a red nose, reminiscent of the famous reindeer. 

In addition to the Rudolph-themed livery, Alaska Airlines has introduced other festive designs over the years. For instance, in 2021, they unveiled "The Gift of Travel" livery on a Boeing 737 MAX 9, featuring the aircraft wrapped as a gift with a blue bow ribbon on the underside. This livery was part of a broader holiday campaign that included donating miles to various charities, embodying the spirit of giving.

Swiss International Air Lines

In 2023, Swiss International Air Lines joined the growing tradition of festive aircraft liveries, adding a touch of Christmas magic to its fleet. Swiss also opted for a charmingly whimsical design, paying homage to the beloved Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. Several of the airline's aircraft received a distinctive bright red nose.

This playful addition was further enhanced by delicate snowflake patterns and other festive decals strategically placed along the fuselage, creating a visually appealing and undeniably Christmassy appearance. This thoughtful design not only brought a smile to passengers of all ages but also reinforced the airline's commitment to creating a memorable travel experience during the holiday season.

Qantas

Meanwhile, on the other side of the world, Australia's flag carrier, Qantas, has also embraced the spirit of Christmas through festive aircraft designs. Qantas has a history of introducing Christmas liveries to bring a touch of holiday cheer to its flights. These designs have varied over the years, ranging from subtle yet effective holiday branding, such as incorporating festive colours or small Christmas-themed graphics, to more elaborate and eye-catching artwork that covers a significant portion of the aircraft's fuselage. 

Beyond the exterior decorations, Qantas has also extended the Christmas celebration to its in-flight services, offering seasonal treats and specially themed products to ensure passengers enjoy a complete and immersive holiday experience from the moment they board. 

Airhead's Takeaway

These festive liveries are more than just paint on a plane; they symbolise an airline's desire to make holiday travel truly magical. From a touch of Santa's magic to a creative display of lights, these designs bring smiles and remind us of the joy and wonder of Christmas. While we might not see as many of these special planes as we once did, the spirit of holiday cheer is still very much alive in how airlines celebrate with their passengers. So, look to the skies this holiday season—you might just see a little Christmas magic soaring above!