Brussels Airlines Unveils New Belgian Icons Livery On Airbus A320neo

Belgian flag carrier, Brussels Airlines has today unveiled its newest special livery on one of its Airbus A320neos at an event in Brussels. The carrier, which operates a mix of narrowbody and widebody aircraft, is famous for its Belgian Icons series of liveries, which already feature on some of its Airbus A320ceo fleet.

The latest to adorn unique eye-catching colors is OO-SBB, an Airbus A320neo that was ferried to Brussels in an all-white livery back in December. Teasers on the carrier’s social media had already hinted at the possibility of a special livery following the plane’s induction. It has already been entered into service.

The new livery

Earlier today, Brussels Airlines presented its latest livery named Amare. It commemorates the carrier’s more than a decade-long partnership with the world-famous music festival Tomorrowland. Brussels Airlines CEO Dorothea Von Boxberg said:

“Brussels Airlines has been a proud partner of Tomorrowland since 2012 and I am happy to announce that we will extend this partnership until 2028. We have many things in common such as the passion to explore the world and connecting cultures, but also the awareness of our environmental footprint and our willingness to take the necessary steps to reduce our impact. These shared values make this partnership such a success.”

The design, which took 15 months of development, features the mystical bird known as Amare. The carrier says that “great attention has been given to details, from the feathers of the bird to the sparkles of the fireworks transitioning into the Brussels Airlines’ logo.” The airline adds:

Amare was visualized as if the magical bird was traveling through the “spectrum of space” by having him fade out towards the back. This also conveys a stronger sense of motion and makes the aircraft even more dynamic and modern.

Interestingly, the airline says that the bird “comes to life when scanned through specific Social Media channels such as Instagram and TikTok”.

Other Belgian icons

Brussels Airlines previously had a total of six Belgian icons in service over the course of its history, introduced to promote Belgian artists and culture. The details are listed below.

Now with only three in service, the Belgian Icons series has reduced slightly in size compared to what it once was. It is unclear whether Brussels Airlines will grow the special liveries fleet back to five. When contacted by Simple Flying, Brussels Airlines reaffirmed its commitment to the “beautiful tradition” but could not provide additional details on the reintroduction or renewal of the now-retired liveries.

Fleet renewal

Brussels Airlines currently operates a fleet of three Airbus A320neo aircraft, delivered in October, December, and February, respectively. Their arrival marks the beginning of its short and medium-haul fleet renewal, particularly important given the age of its existing European fleet. This includes older generation planes, with an average age of around 19 years for the A319-100s and 18 years for the A320-200s.

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The carrier expects a total of four in 2024, including the two that have already been delivered. The delivery of Airbus A320neos also mark the first time that the carrier has purchased factory-new aircraft. All the airline’s other planes have been inducted secondhand.

Speaking to Simple Flying at the sidelines of the Aviation Conference in Brussels, CEO Dorothea Von Boxberg noted that the widebody fleet was not currently a renewal priority for the airline given their average age of 16 years. However, the airline did confirm that it was “looking into options” to renew the long-haul planes.

Let us know what you think about the new livery in the comments below.