In the News: The Latest in Unusual Airplane Paint Jobs

Does the paint job of an airplane, otherwise known as its livery, make a difference to you? Airlines around the world have a proud tradition of getting goofy with the looks of their aircraft. Here are some of the last paint schemes.

EVA Air's Hello Kitty Boeing 777 themed "Sanrio Family hand-in-hand" has Hello Kitty and 18 other Sanrio characters all holding hands. Hello Kitty and her mates are hugely popular the world over, nowhere more so than in Asia where Taiwanese airline EVA Air flies five Kitty-themed planes in a tie-up with Sanrio.

Alaska Airlines turned a 737 into "Salmon-Thirty-Salmon" after a plane hit a fish (really happened) but not the reason behind the livery. The new "Salmon-Thirty-Salmon II" design is derived from an earlier version of the paint scheme Alaska Airlines unveiled on a 737-400 in 2005, which was re-painted with the carrier's traditional Eskimo livery last year. In addition to sporting the glimmering image of a wild Alaska king salmon like the original "Salmon-Thirty-Salmon," the new design is about nine feet longer and also features fish scales on the winglets and a salmon-pink colored "Alaska" script across the fuselage. The design is among the world's most intricately painted commercial airplanes and was produced in partnership with ASMI, which promotes wild, natural and sustainable Alaska seafood.

British Airways has launched a plane with panda-themed livery to mark the launch of a route from London to Chengdu, China. 

Brazil's team is using a plane completely covered by graffiti art. Low-cost carrier GOL commissioned Brazil's acclaimed artistic duo Os Gemeos to turn the Boeing 737 into a flying canvas. They used 1,200 cans of spray paint to shroud the entire plane, apart from the wings, in a theme of "Brazilianness, democracy and diversity."

Germany's Lufthansa has renamed eight of its planes to "Fanhansa"  and added a football and German flag motif. The team isa favorite to become champions behind only Brazil and Argentina is being flown on an Airbus A340.

Air New Zealand's has a Hobbit-inspired 777-300ER aircraft. The world's largest plane decal, taking more than 400 hours to complete, was unveiled in 2012.

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