Toronto, Ontario — When AkzoNobel supplied the coatings for this Hi Fly Airbus A380 in 2018, the company was helping to paint a picture of hope as it carried the Mirpuri Foundation’s message to save the world’s coral reefs.
Two years after the livery was applied, the same aircraft became the only one of its kind still flying following the COVID-19 outbreak. Swiftly adapted to take more cargo, it was used for repatriation flights and to transport medical equipment as part of a humanitarian assignment which literally took it around the world. So it was still delivering a message of hope—just an entirely different one.
The journey it took was widespread. It began in Beja, Portugal, on the evening of May 14 and ended in the same city on May 18. The A380 covered 31,047 km in a flight time of 33 hours and 45 minutes, which included stops in Paris, Hanoi, Saudi Arabia, Madrid and Santo Domingo. It was also the first plane to land in Wuhan, China, following the outbreak, when it delivered much-needed medical equipment and took stranded people home.
Throughout its lap of the planet, the A380 continued to raise awareness for marine conservation. The plane’s design displays different images on each side of the aircraft. One side depicts a pristine ocean with healthy marine life, while the other shows a destroyed coral environment.
The artwork was created using 19 different colors, many of which were custom-made. AkzoNobel’s design helps to drive home the message that the world’s coral ecosystems will disappear by 2050 if no action is taken.
“We’re very happy with the high quality liveries that AkzoNobel provides us with. They really get a lot of attention all over the world and thus raise awareness for the important topics our Foundation is working on in order to generate solutions to save the planet. We hope our collaboration will continue for a long time,” said Ana Agostinho, Head of Public Relations at the Mirpuri Foundation.
AkzoNobel has a long-standing partnership with the Mirpuri Foundation, a non-profit organization based in Portugal.
“We’re proud to be involved with the Mirpuri Foundation’s Save the Coral Reefs campaign,” said Sarah Skinner, Segment Manager for our Aerospace Coatings business. “The aircraft makes a strong statement about the importance of creating a sustainable future, and it’s good to see our products being used to carry such an important message.”
Having logged thousands of miles, the eye-catching coral reef A380 continues to capture the attention of people all over the world.
In fact, AkzoNobel states the plane is among the most spotted aircrafts in the world.
