Aeromexico Looks To Its Cultural Roots To Celebrate Its New 787-9

For those who have an interest in Mexican archaeology and anthropology, you may get a little excited to see one of Mexico’s most famous deities adorning Aeromexico’s brand new 787-9. Named Quetzalcoatl, meaning “Feathered Serpent,” the new livery was the winning design from the carrier’s ‘Design in the Air’ competition.

Taking an eye-watering nine days to paint, (Six days longer than was originally planned) the design offers a unique fusion of tradition and modernity and acts as the perfect vehicle to celebrate the carrier’s brand new 787-9 aircraft.

In November 2014, Aeromexico’s contest was launched via social media and at several universities, inviting participants to submit a creative image to be painted on an aircraft’s fuselage. More than 1,000 participants presented their designs during the four-week contest period, 400 of which were chosen for meeting the requirements established in the rules. The winning design was created by graphic designer José Manuel Escudero of the Mexican state of Veracruz.

Aeromexico CEO Andres Conesa said “At Aeromexico, we are very excited about the buzz the Quetzalcoatl design has generated. As Mexico’s flagship carrier, this aircraft will become an icon of our fleet and a reflection of what Mexico is today, with culture and tradition represented in what we consider to be one of the most sophisticated creations of modern aviation engineering.”

The first of 10 787-9’s for the carrier, Aeromexico is the second airline in Latin America to operate the model. The aircraft type has been incredibly popular with airlines around the world. Aeromexico state in their press release “If an airline places an order for a 787 today, it could take between 10 to 15 years for it to be delivered.” With a fuselage measuring 20 feet longer than the 787-8, the 787-9 has capacity for 48 additional passengers on longer routes (up to 300 more nautical miles) with 20% greater fuel efficiency, and up to 20% fewer emissions than the aircraft this model is replacing.

The airline has hinted at even more developments, saying that it will wait until the plane lands in Mexico to unveil the interior of this new aircraft that will change its customers’ travel experience.