Finnair’s retro aircraft, named Silver Bird, will make its maiden flight from Helsinki to Copenhagen on July 30, 2008. The Finnair Airbus A319 has been painted in the livery of Finnair’s 1950s Convair in honour of the airline’s 85th anniversary. The aircraft’s crew will also be dressed in 1950s uniforms.
“Finnair is the sixth oldest operating airline in the world, a fact of which we are very proud,” says Finnair Deputy CEO Henrik Arle. “From the times of the Convairs Finnair has moved on to operating an all jet fleet and our annual passenger numbers are 90-fold to what they were in the 50s. But some things have remained unchanged: the Convair was the pinnacle of aircraft engineering at the time, just like Finnair’s current modern, young and eco-efficient Airbus fleet which we operate in Europe.”
The 85-year-old Finnair was founded by Consul Bruno Lucander under the name Aero on November 1, 1923. During the time of CEO Leonard Grandell in the 1950s Finnair was the first in Europe to acquire Convairs – from which the Silver Bird gets its design. The Convair was unique in passenger comfort thanks to being the first aircraft with a pressurized cabin and nose landing gear.
The Silver Bird’s fuselage is a shining metal colour, with blue stripes on its sides and the text Finnish Airlines. The retro theme is also apparent inside the cabin in the entertainment. The aircraft will operate in the retro livery for years to come as repainting the aircraft earlier would unnecessarily burden the environment.
A total of some 60 retro flights served by the ‘retro crew’ will be operated around Europe until the end of the year. Finnair’s website has been unveiled in its retro look and the site includes retro pages on which visitors can take a trip down aviation’s memory lane. The flight schedule of Silver Bird is also available on the retro pages. The Silver Bird will also operate normal scheduled flights in Europe and domestically with a normal crew.
The original Convair cabins had leather “armchairs” in two rows, tasty meals were eaten at tables for the first time and the airline even offered passengers the use of an electric Philishave razor.
The first Convair arrived in Helsinki on Valentine’s Day February 14, 1953. Exactly two months later it made its maiden voyage from Helsinki via Copenhagen to Düsseldorf, and the Silver Bird will also make its first flight to Copenhagen. Aero also started using Finnair as a marketing name for the first time in 1953. The name was officially changed in 1968.
Finnair's last Convair was donated to the Finnish Aviation Museum at Helsinki-Vantaa Airport after 27 years of service in November 1980. The aircraft is still in the museum to this day and one of its main attractions.