Cathay Pacific Unveils 80th Anniversary Special Livery Airbus A350-900 at Tokyo Narita Airport

On February 10, Cathay Pacific Airways unveiled at Narita Airport in Japan a special livery Airbus A350-900 aircraft (registration: B-LRJ) commemorating the airline’s 80th anniversary.

The special livery was first revealed at an event held in Hong Kong on January 6 to celebrate the 80th anniversary. It recreates the green and white striped livery known as the “Lettuce Sandwich,” which was adopted from the late 1950s, expressing the airline’s 80 years of history and tradition while also symbolizing continuous growth and progress. An 80th anniversary logo is painted on the rear fuselage. A cargo-dedicated Boeing 747-8F aircraft (registration: B-LJE) has also been given the same livery and has been in operation since January 24.

The inaugural flight of the special livery aircraft was flight CX870 from Hong Kong to San Francisco on January 6, and it has since been mainly deployed on medium- and long-haul international routes. Its first visit to Japan was on February 10 as flight CX526 from Hong Kong to Tokyo/Narita, which departed Hong Kong at 8:44 a.m. and arrived at Narita Airport at 1:30 p.m., parking at Spot 71.

At Narita Airport in Japan, staff wearing a total of 10 types of recreated uniforms, from the first generation introduced in 1946 to the current version, welcomed passengers and handed out tote bags as commemorative gifts. At the adjacent Spot 72, flight CX451 to Hong Kong via Taipei (Boeing 777-300, registration: B-HNX) was parked, creating a scene where a standard livery aircraft and the special livery aircraft stood side by side.

The return flight CX527 to Hong Kong departed Tokyo/Narita at 2:40 p.m.

Cathay Pacific Airways has adopted the theme “80 Years Together” and will hold commemorative events and various initiatives throughout the year. Around 2,000 cabin crew and 390 ground staff will wear retro uniforms, and limited-edition items such as model planes of the special livery aircraft, tote bags, and luggage tags will also be sold.

The airline was founded on September 24, 1946. Its first flight was operated by a Douglas DC-3 from Sydney to Hong Kong. In 1948, Swire, the company’s current major shareholder, acquired a stake in the airline. Cathay Pacific first launched service to Japan on July 4, 1959, operating a Tokyo/Haneda route via Taipei.