Air CanadaCopied

On 9 February 2017, at simultaneous events in Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver, Air Canada unveiled a new livery for its whole fleet, new staff uniforms and new menu items. The airline's passenger president called it a pivotal inflection point in its 80-year history, timed for Canada's 150th anniversary year.

The livery was designed by Winkreative, the international firm headed by Canadian entrepreneur Tyler Brûlé, CBC, Design Week and the airline reported. Air Canada said its 300 mainline and regional aircraft would be repainted in a bold black and white design highlighting the red maple leaf in its encircled ensign, the 'rondelle'. Design Week noted the roundel had not been used on the tail since 1992, when it appeared in white on a red background; the airline counted the absence at 24 years. According to Air Canada, the design reflects Canada's vastness and contrasting seasons, with references to its wildlife and First Nations heritage. CBC described the result as a retro look: a new twist on an old scheme that adds black to the iconic red and white.

Uniforms by a Canadian designer came in charcoal grey and black with red accents, matching the charcoal and red of the international cabins. The first three repainted aircraft entered service immediately, with the rest of the fleet to follow. The airline was then adding Boeing 787 Dreamliners and Bombardier C Series jets, CBC noted.

Not everyone cheered. A Design Week reader complained that the national carrier had used a UK agency.

The roundel return is the best decision, a piece of genuine heritage that reads instantly on a tail. Black is more contested: it looks sharp and premium on a 787, but it also drains warmth from a flag carrier whose whole brand is a red leaf. On balance it is a confident, grown-up livery.