The Landor livery was replaced at exactly the right time while it was still in its prime, IMHO. It was still an impressive scheme but aircraft still wearing the battleship grey, dark navy and old logotype did begin to look drab when parked along side others with the new, much brighter, more vibrant utopia livery. BA’s current livery is an absolute tour de force and carries the brand beautifully, even today.

It is interesting to compare two schools of thought: the application of a timeless, classic design which carries a style over several decades versus the more ephemeral approach adopted by the likes of Virgin Atlantic and bmi. With VS, the livery requires frequent updates to remain en trend, which is broadly consistent with the way liveries are treated in the UK transport industry. The UK rail scene for example is home to some of the world’s most garish liveries, many of the trashy schemes emanate from a single agency, Ray Stenning’s Best Impressions.

I’d wager the current BA livery will see a transformational change in the next five years whilst it is still in its prime and when we least expect it to happen.