CATHAY PACIFIC MARKS 80 YEARS WITH RETRO LIVERIES AND GLOBAL CELEBRATIONS

Cathay Pacific will celebrate its 80th anniversary in 2026 with a year-long campaign themed “80 Years Together,” highlighted by the return of its iconic retro “lettuce leaf sandwich” livery on an Airbus A350. The initiatives will honor the airline’s heritage, reinforce its role in connecting Hong Kong to the world, and engage customers globally.  

As Cathay Pacific prepares to mark its 80th anniversary in 2026, the airline is planning a year-long celebration that blends nostalgia with forward-looking ambition. Central to the festivities is the return of one of the carrier’s most cherished visual icons: the retro “lettuce leaf sandwich” livery, which will make a comeback on an Airbus A350. It is a gesture steeped in heritage and sentimentality, evoking an era when aviation was both glamorous and transformational for Hong Kong and the region it served. Yet the anniversary plans extend beyond a coat of paint. Under the banner “80 Years Together,” Cathay is positioning the milestone as an opportunity to reaffirm its role as a global connector, a cultural ambassador, and a business that has risen and evolved alongside its home city since 1946.

The airline’s history is closely interwoven with the story of Hong Kong’s development. Founded by American Roy Farrell and Australian Sydney de Kantzow in the aftermath of World War II, Cathay Pacific began modestly, using a single Douglas DC-3 aircraft to operate flights around the region. The choice of Hong Kong as a base proved prescient: as the city grew into a commercial gateway, financial hub, and aviation crossroads, the airline did the same, adding routes, expanding fleets, and cultivating a service culture that became a defining point of pride. Those early decades also cultivated an aesthetic memory for aviation enthusiasts — one that will be revived through the retro liveries, inspired by shades and shapes that once adorned the airline’s aircraft in the 1960s and 1970s.

The decision to bring back the lettuce leaf motif resonates not merely as an aesthetic flourish, but as a symbolic return to an era where travel was more personal and aeronautics were still novel. Aviation historians frequently point to the mid-20th century as the period in which airlines transformed from logistical utilities into cultural brands. Uniforms, typography, and liveries became strategic expressions of national identity, and for Cathay Pacific, the distinctive green striping left an indelible mark. The affectionate nickname — comparing the sweeping green linework to a lettuce leaf sandwich — became part of aviation folklore. It may have been an unintended moniker, but like many icons, it stuck and became a token of fondness.

The 80th anniversary campaign arrives at a consequential moment for the airline. The global aviation sector is still refining its post-pandemic trajectory, balancing growth with evolving traveler expectations, sustainability imperatives, and intensified competition. For Cathay, the milestone offers a chance to tell a story not just of longevity but of resilience. The theme “80 Years Together” carries weight precisely because of this shared narrative: the airline and its customers have weathered global crises, navigated regulatory and economic shifts, and embraced new technologies. While much public attention during anniversaries gravitates toward celebratory visuals, the quieter subtext is about continuity — a business that has endured and adapted through the changing shape of global travel.

Throughout 2026, Cathay’s anniversary activations will highlight three major strands of identity: its historic role in connecting Hong Kong to the world, its contribution to elevating Hong Kong as a regional and international aviation hub, and the lifestyle dimension that the Cathay brand has increasingly embraced. From its signature lounges to its travel and lifestyle offerings, the airline has long positioned itself not solely as a transport operator but as a curator of journeys and experiences. This makes the anniversary theme particularly resonant: connection has always been both literal and aspirational for Cathay Pacific.

The A350 chosen for the retro treatment suggests a deliberate bridging of eras. Instead of repainting an older aircraft, the carrier selected one of its most modern and fuel-efficient models. It captures a dual message: honoring the past while highlighting the modern jet at the center of Cathay’s long-haul strategy. The A350 plays an important role in the airline’s operational recovery and future competitiveness, offering improved fuel burn, passenger comfort, and long-range capability. On that smooth composite fuselage, the lettuce leaf motif gains new context — no longer a snapshot of aviation’s past but a visual metaphor that the airline’s story continues.

While details of the broader campaign remain under wraps, industry observers expect activations to span heritage showcases, limited-edition partnerships, archival exhibitions, and customer engagement programs designed to tap into nostalgia while reinforcing loyalty. In a sector where customer retention is increasingly shaped by emotional affinity as much as pricing or logistics, such campaigns serve both brand-building and commercial purposes. The anniversary also offers a stage to reinforce Cathay’s international identity. Unlike some national carriers that rely heavily on patriotic narratives, Cathay Pacific has long defined itself through its role in making Hong Kong a cultural and commercial transit point. That positioning remains as relevant in 2026 as it was in its founding years, especially amid shifting global travel flows across Asia-Pacific.

The “80 Years Together” message also speaks to the internal story of the airline. Cathay is one of Hong Kong’s most recognizable corporate institutions and one of the city’s largest employers in training, engineering, cabin services, cargo, and operations. The anniversary will likely include employee-centered initiatives that reflect the contribution of multiple generations of aviation professionals who shaped its culture and performance. With competition for talent growing across global aviation, such gestures can support long-term recruitment and brand reputation in a sector where human expertise remains critical despite increasing automation.

As Cathay Pacific steps into this milestone year, it does so in a market that is simultaneously nostalgic and forward-looking. There is renewed traveler appetite for exploration after years of disruption, yet the expectations for sustainability, digital services, and seamless global mobility are far higher than in the airline’s early decades. The challenge — and opportunity — lies in melding brand heritage with contemporary innovation. The lettuce leaf livery may call back to a time when air travel evoked glamour, but the modern aircraft beneath it will fly into a future defined by decarbonization targets, smart operations, and experiential design.

Ultimately, anniversaries in aviation are rarely only about the past. Airlines are uniquely public-facing institutions: they move people, cargo, and culture, and they often become conduits for national stories, regional transitions, and social memories. Cathay’s 80th year will be no exception. The campaign’s core promise — of celebrating the legacy of advancing its home city and connecting people and global customers since 1946 — functions as both reflective narrative and ongoing mandate. The world that Roy Farrell and Sydney de Kantzow ventured into eight decades ago was very different from today’s interconnected landscape, but their founding premise endures: to bridge distances with intention.

If the return of the lettuce leaf livery provokes smiles from aviation enthusiasts and curiosity from younger travelers, it will mean the campaign has achieved one of its most meaningful goals: to turn heritage into shared cultural experience. In an industry that thrives on continuity and aspiration, there may be no better way to honor the past than to send it flying into the future.