Virgin Atlantic Struts in a Summer Makeover

The time-lapse video above is a speedy look at Virgin Atlantic's new livery, now gracing its 38 aircraft.

The biggest changes, as noted in Virgin's press release: "The Virgin Atlantic name, previously on the front end of the fuselage is now emblazoned large across the whole of the aircraft in a fine custom drawn font. In addition, the undercarriage of the aircraft now features the new Virgin Atlantic logo in dark purple – making the aircraft more easily identifiable when taking off and landing. The winglets are now red with the Virgin script on the inner side, visible to passengers on board the plane."

The makeover also employed an environmentally-friendly painting system which Virgin says is a first of its kind for the aviation industry.

"The new livery uses an entirely new paint system which is unique to Virgin Atlantic – a first on commercial aircraft. It has been specially developed to achieve a highly reflective depth of metallic colour. The painting process has been simplified, using fewer maskings and applications for a drastic reduction in materials used. Over 450 litres of paint was used and took over 3,000 – 3,500 man hours to paint. The new paint is more durable so aircraft will only require re-painting once a decade."

It's also not jettisoning one of the brand design features beloved by Virgin fans: "The iconic, flag carrying flying lady, who appears on all Virgin Atlantic aircraft, has been rejuvenated with a subtle cosmetic makeover and enhanced detailing – now fluttering a larger Union Jack."

The Brand New blog has more on Virgin Atlantic's freshened look and livery, created by UK design consultancy Johnson Banks in collaboration with Virgin Atlantic's in-house brand design team and the brand strategists at Circus, who have been working with airline since 2008.