American Airlines has revealed that it will soon be introducing a special livery aircraft to celebrate its centennial, and my goodness, it sure is a distinctive plane!
American’s plans eye-catching 100th anniversary livery
American is celebrating its centennial in 2026, and it’s normal for airlines to introduce a special livery on an aircraft to celebrate the occasion. American has just unveiled that it plans to introduce a special livery on a Boeing 777-300ER, and it should enter service as of November 2025.
The special “Flagship” livery will be on the plane with the registration code N735AT, and it blends one of the company’s original liveries with a modern flair.
At the base of the livery is the airline’s Silver Eagle paint color, which is currently found on more than 1,600 aircraft in American’s mainline and regional fleet. Across both sides of the aircraft, the orange lightning bolt motif makes its reappearance, after first debuting nearly 90 years ago on the Douglas DC-3.
When American took delivery of new DC-3 aircraft, they were named based on cities the airline served at the time. In keeping with tradition, American will name this aircraft “Flagship DFW,” in recognition of the airline’s home and largest hub. Toward the rear of the aircraft, you’ll notice a roundel featuring one of the most recognizable motifs from American’s history, which is the eagle connecting the world.
Here’s how Ron DeFeo, American’s Chief Communications Officer, describes this:
“American has thoughtfully chosen a design that evokes our rich history while looking ahead to our next 100 years. Throughout American’s history, ‘Flagship’ has always been recognized as our premium travel experience. Our renewed focus on the customer experience is making premium travel better than ever across all aspects of our customers’ travel journeys. Painting the original Flagship design on our Flagship aircraft is a powerful way to honor that legacy while embracing the future.”
What a unique special livery for American’s centennial!
American’s special centennial livery will certainly turn some heads at airports, because I’ve never seen a modern commercial aircraft painted quite like that. I’m curious what it actually looks like in person, as it’s hard to know what the finishes will look like based on the renderings.
I find it interesting — and I really like — how the special livery is so historic, and really pays tribute to the company’s origins. It’s quite a contrast to the other special centennial liveries we’ve seen in recent times, which are largely modern, and pay tribute to a company’s history in a more subtle way.
For example, for the recent Delta and Lufthansa special centennial liveries, you wouldn’t know that was the intent of the liveries, if it weren’t for the “100” written on the side of the fuselage.
I commend American for really going back to its roots. Then again, American doing a great job with retro liveries is nothing new. I also love how American has 737s in retro liveries that pay tribute to the carrier’s predecessors (America West, Reno Air, etc.).
Bottom line
In November 2025, American will start flying a Boeing 777-300ER in a special centennial livery, based on the carrier’s Douglas DC-3 back in the day. The renderings of the livery look pretty incredible, if you ask me, and I can’t wait to see this plane actually flying!
What do you make of American’s centennial livery plans?
