British Airways Announces Second Retro Livery: British European Airways

British Airways made headlines recently upon debuting its first-ever retro livery as part of the airline's 100th anniversary: a BA Boeing 747-400 painted in the iconic British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC) livery circa 1964. The move had aviation enthusiasts swooning, and become so popular that a Twitter account was created to tweet updates on the BOAC 747's whereabouts.

Now, the airline is set to unveil the next retro livery celebrating the legacy of former carrier British European Airways (BEA). A British Airways Airbus A319 with the registration G-EUPJ has landed in Shannon (SNN), where it will receive a new coat of paint. When the aircraft emerges from the hangar, it will feature the livery of the now-defunct BEA.

The livery dates back to 1960, when the airline received its first jet-powered aircraft. The large red box would remain the airline's livery through the mid-1970s, when it was replaced by a similar color scheme featuring part of the Union Jack flag on the tail of the aircraft.

The BEA Airbus A319 is slated to re-enter service in March. The A319 is currently operated on short to medium-haul flights throughout Europe, which means North American fans of the defunct airline will have to first fly across the pond to catch a glimpse of the retro livery in person.

Additional heritage liveries will be added to the British Airways fleet. The airline said it will soon announce which of its planes will get the upcoming retro treatments.

*This article has been updated. A previous version of this article misstated what BA planes would get the additional heritage liveries.

H/T: FlightGlobal