Working on the first Boeing 777, painted colorful cartoon designs from the child who won the award to paint the first 777, I have long been a fan of dolled up airplanes. So it was fun to see pictures of the Alaska Airlines “Salmon Thirty Salmon”, a delightful play on 737.
The “Salmon-Thirty-Salmon,” sporting the glimmering image of a wild Alaska king salmon, is among the world’s most intricately painted commercial airplanes. Complete with shiny scales, a dorsal fin and gills, the livery on the Alaska Airlines 737-400 passenger aircraft is the result of a dedicated team of 30 painters working nearly nonstop for 24 days.
The airplane symbolizes the critical role Alaska Airlines plays in transporting fresh Alaska seafood to the continental United States and beyond. The paint scheme was produced in partnership with the Alaska Fisheries Marketing Board (AFMB), which promotes the export of Alaska seafood.
“This airplane celebrates Alaska Airlines’ unique relationship with the people and communities of Alaska and underscores our air transport commitment to the state’s seafood industry,” said Gregg Saretsky, Alaska Airlines’ executive vice president of marketing and planning. “Alaska seafood is more popular than ever, and Alaska Airlines is proud to play a role in getting much of it from the waters of Alaska to dinner tables across the country in record time.”
The fishy aircraft features an original design by Mark Boyle, Seattle-based wildlife artist who has gained quite a reputation as a designer of commercial aircraft art. According to the article, the project required “three times as many hours to paint as the normal livery, using Mylar paint to create an iridescent look and airbrushing techniques to make the fish painting appear three dimensional.”
