Credit: british airways media / Picture by: Stuart Bailey/  BOAC 747  Heritage Design lands at London Heathrow  Feb. 18, ,2019

By Gary Raynaldo     DIPLOMATIC TIMES

A British Airways Boeing 747 painted in the iconic design of its predecessor British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC) arrived back at London Heathrow from the paint factory this morning and will enter the airline’s flying schedule, heading first to New York,  BA announced Monday.  The UK-based airline painted  the  Boeing 747 in the much-admired retrograde design of its predecessor BOAC,  as part of its 100-Year Birthday. The livery from the 1964 – 1974 BOAC era adorns  a B747, reg: G-BYGC.   The aircraft will left the paint shop in Dublin and arrived in to Heathrow on February 18, before entering service the following day flying to New York.  The aircraft entered the IAC paint bay at Dublin Airport on February 5 where it was stripped of its current British Airways Chatham Dockyard design before being repainted with the BOAC livery which adorned the BOAC fleet between 1964 and 1974.

Credit: BA / A Boeing 747 long-range wide-body four engined commercial jet airliner for the BOAC – British Overseas Airways Corporation flying above the United Kingdom on 7 April 1971. (Photo by Fox Photos/Hulton Archive/Getty Images).

 “The enormous interest we’ve had in this project demonstrates the attachment many people have to British Airways’ history. It’s something we are incredibly proud of, so in our centenary year it’s a pleasure to be celebrating our past while also looking to the future. We look forward to many more exciting moments like this as our other aircraft with heritage designs enter service.”

Alex Cruz, British Airways’ Chairman and CEO.

Watch The  BOAC 747  Heritage Design Arrive Home at  London Heathrow Airport

Credit: BA Twitter youtube /   BOAC 747 Arrives Home at Heathrow Airport

Credit: BA /  DUBLIN, IRELAND: British Airways Boeing 747 G-BYGC goes into a paint bay at Dublin Airport before being resprayed with a BOAC livery as part of the centenary celebrations. (Picture by Nick Morrish/British Airways)

DUBLIN, IRELAND:  The Boeing 747 G-BYGC  heads into a paint bay at Dublin Airport before being resprayed with a BOAC livery as part of the centenary celebrations. (Picture by Nick Morrish/British Airways)

From the paint bay at Dublin Airport, the BOAC Boeing 747 flew directly to Heathrow on the BA100 touching down this Monday morning. Its next flight will be tomorrow, Tuesday February 19, when it departs for New York JFK operating as flight BA117.    BA stated that this flight is particularly significant as it was the first route the B747 flew in BOAC colours.

BOAC  Livery Will Remain On The Boeing 747 Until She Retires in 2023

Et Voila!   British Airway  Retro BOAC 747  with its new paint job  February 18, 2019 ready for service / Picture by: Stuart Bailey

BOAC 747  Taken: 18th February 2019  Picture by: Stuart Bailey

The BOAC livery will remain on the Boeing 747 until it retires in 2023, to allow as many customers as possible to have the chance to see it.  By this time, British Airways will have retired the majority of its 747 fleet, replacing them with new state-of-the-art long-haul aircraft. This includes taking delivery of 18 A350s and 12 Boeing 787 Dreamliners in the next four years – which feature new cabins and are more environmentally efficient – as well as another 26 short-haul aircraft, all part of the airline’s £6.5bn investment for customers.