Paint scheme and markings that identify an aircraft's operator: colours, name, logo and often a distinctive design on the tail.
What it is
A livery is an airline's public face on the outside of its aircraft. It combines the base colour of the fuselage, the operator's name, the logo, usually on the fin, and stripes or other graphic motifs. Alongside it sit mandatory markings such as the registration, and technical labels such as those marking the emergency exits.
Painting a large airliner takes several days, and on a wide-body the paint can weigh several hundred kilograms, so many airlines favour simple designs on a white background that are easy to touch up. Special liveries celebrating anniversaries or promoting destinations and events are popular with enthusiasts. When an aircraft changes operator, it is normally repainted in the new operator's colours.
On Vuelopedia
An aircraft record on Vuelopedia includes an illustration of the aircraft in its livery.
Related terms
Cite
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This page was last updated on October 9, 2026
APA
Vuelopedia. (2026, October 9). Livery. Retrieved October 16, 2026, from https://vuelopedia.org/en/glossary/livery
MLA
“Livery.” Vuelopedia, Fundación Poderia, 9 Oct. 2026, vuelopedia.org/en/glossary/livery. Accessed 16 Oct. 2026.
Chicago
Vuelopedia. “Livery.” Fundación Poderia. Last modified October 9, 2026. https://vuelopedia.org/en/glossary/livery.
Harvard
Vuelopedia (2026) Livery. Available at: https://vuelopedia.org/en/glossary/livery (Accessed: 16 October 2026).
BibTeX
@misc{vuelopedia_en_glossary_livery,
author = {{Vuelopedia}},
title = {{Livery}},
publisher = {Fundación Poderia},
year = {2026},
date = {2026-10-09},
url = {https://vuelopedia.org/en/glossary/livery},
howpublished = {\url{https://vuelopedia.org/en/glossary/livery}},
urldate = {2026-10-16},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-16}
}Wikipedia
{{cite web |url=https://vuelopedia.org/en/glossary/livery |title=Livery |website=Vuelopedia |publisher=Fundación Poderia |date=2026-10-09 |access-date=2026-10-16 |language=en}}