No more teal: Air New Zealand planes get a makeover

She’s a big job, giving a new look to eight Q300 aircraft, but the Airbus team in Blenheim are kitted out for it. Air New Zealand’s last aircraft in the teal blue Pacific Wave livery from the early 2000 will gain a new black and white paint job over the next four months. The teal was a nod to the airline’s 80-plus years of history, starting with the creation of what was then Tasman Empire Airways Limited (TEAL), that has since become Air New Zealand. The aircraft will go through a strip and repaint process led by the airline’s engineering and maintenance teams, and supported by Airbus in New Zealand, at its facilities in Blenheim. Air New Zealand’s group general manager of engineering and maintenance Brett Daley said the Airbus facility was normally used to repaint military planes, but provided the perfect location to repaint the smaller turboprop aircraft. “We’re really excited about this opportunity to work with Airbus on the repainting of these planes which help connect our customers to the regions - from Hokitika, Gisborne, Napier, Rotorua, Whangarei and beyond. It’s fantastic to have the capability to do this in our own backyard. It is the first time the aircraft have been fully stripped and repainted in New Zealand and Air New Zealand has used these facilities. The aircraft were previously painted offshore in Australia.”<br/>