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A Guide to Delta Air Lines Special Aircraft Liveries

by Matt Falcus

Delta is an airline that regularly chooses to celebrate its employees, special causes or affiliations by painting special liveries on its aircraft fleet.

Some of these schemes are quite striking, and take advantage of the modern wide-body aircraft types.

Others are more subtle.

In this guide we’ll look at the special aircraft liveries in Delta’s aircraft fleet.

 

Team USA

To mark Delta’s support of the Team USA Olympics and Paralympics teams, two of its aircraft wear a special livery with large titles. They are:

N411DX Airbus A330-941

N521DN Airbus A350-941

 

Employee Recognition Schemes

Delta is a proud supporter of its employees and their team effort in advancing the company. It has marked this on Airbus A321 N391DN which has large ‘Thank You’ titles made up of all employee names at the time.

 

Breast Cancer Support

Delta has long supported the cause of breast cancer awareness and the Breast Cancer Research Foundation. At present Boeing 767-400ER N845MH wears this special ribbon livery to mark this.

 

Spirit of Delta

Spirit of Delta A350. Photo (c)

For years, Boeing 767-200 N102DA was known as the Spirit of Delta. This aircraft was paid for by contributions from employees at a time when the airline was struggling financially.

Over the years the aircraft wore a variety of special paint schemes.

Now retired and on display at the Delta Flight Museum, a new aircraft has been chosen as the ‘Spirit of Delta’. This time it is Airbus A350 N502DN, but only wears a small sticker under the cockpit rather than a full special livery.

 

SkyTeam Livery Aircraft

In addition to the special liveries on Delta aircraft shown above, the airline also marks its association with the SkyTeam Alliance by having painted three of its Boeing 737-800 and one 767-400ER aircraft in the silver livery.

They are:

N3758Y Boeing 737-832

N3761R Boeing 737-832

N381DN Boeing 737-832

N844MH Boeing 767-432ER

 

Delta’s Special Liveries from the Past

Delta, like many airlines, has been painting special liveries on its aircraft for many years.

Often, after the promotional scheme has served its purpose, the aircraft will be repainted back into the standard airline livery.

Here are some of Delta’s special liveries from the past.

N812DE - McDonnell Douglas MD-11P - Delta - KATL - Aug 1995

Delta was the Official Airline of the 1996 Olympic Games. It painted one of its MD-11 aircraft, N812DE, in this Centennial Spirit scheme.

 

Photo (c)

Boeing 767-300ER N171DZ wore this special scheme promoting Habitat for Humanity Force for Global Good.

 

B767-200_DeltaAirlines_N102DA

A picture of the original Spirit of Delta Boeing 767 in one of its special liveries.

Title image (c)

 

Delta Air Lines the Book

Matt Falcus is the author of this new book on the history of Delta Air Lines. It looks at how this mega airline, with one of the largest aircraft fleets and route networks in the world, began as a small crop dusting operation. Over the years it grew and merged with other carriers to become the carrier it is today.

This book is packed full of pictures of classic aircraft and scenes from Delta’s past, and also tells the histories of Northeast Airlines, Chicago & Southern, Western Airlines and Northwest Airlines, who all became part of Delta.

Order a Copy Today

 

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