Rugby World Champion “All Blacks” led the brand new Air New Zealand Boeing 777-300ER black plane out of Boeing’s paint hangar in Seattle. The video features a look behind the scenes of the unveiling of this special livery B777 to celebrate the win of the Rugby World Championship. Since many years Air New Zealand is a major sponsor of the New Zealand Rugby Union.
Boeing revealed that it took two days longer than normally required to paint a 777 aircraft. 700 litres of chrome-free primer and paint was used, with a total of 14 painters working in shifts 24 hours a day.
Jeff Klemann, Boeing Vice President of the Everett Delivery Centre, said it was the biggest job ever undertaken by his team, if not in world aviation. “It was, without a doubt, one of the most challenging paint jobs we’ve ever done, but the paint team was up for the challenge and the results are absolutely outstanding. I am very proud of what the paint team has achieved,” said Klemann.
With the new All Black jet expected to arrive in New Zealand in January, Air New Zealand Group General Manager International Airline Christopher Luxon said it was exciting to see the job finished.
“The all black colour scheme and silver fern are a key part of both New Zealand’s and the All Blacks’ identity, so we’re excited to be able to take that iconic imagery to the world on a flying billboard that’s more than 242 feet (73.9 metres) long,” he said. “It will certainly get people’s attention when they see it at Auckland, Los Angeles, London Heathrow and Melbourne airports over the coming year.”
Video: