Brussels Airlines unveils unique Magritte aircraft

On Monday 21 March 2016, Brussels Airlines and Foundation Magritte organised a special #SNMagritte event to unveil their long awaited Magritte aircraft, a unique flying piece of art, dedicated to the famous Belgian artist René Magritte. Following in the footsteps of Rackham, the Tintin aircraft that the airline unveiled last year, this Airbus is the second aircraft in a series of Brussels Airlines planes with a special design, inspired by Belgian icons.

Brussels Airlines & Foundation Magritte #SNMagritte Event – Brussels Airport (BRU EBBR) – 2016 03 21 – 25 – Copyright © 2016 Ivan Coninx Photography

Brussels Airlines’ Magritte aircraft was unveiled in the presence of Minister of Mobility Jacqueline Galant, Brussels Airlines Chairman Viscount Etienne Davignon and Brussels Airlines CEO Bernard Gustin, President of the Fondation Magritte Charly Herscovici and Brussels Airlines’ guests and employees.

The plane, Airbus A320 OO-SNC baptized Magritte, is a 37m long flying piece of art that has come to life thanks to a close cooperation between Brussels Airlines and the Foundation Magritte.

On the outside, the design incorporates two of Magritte’s paintings, La Clairvoyance (1936) and Le Retour (1940). The cabin interior has undergone a surrealist makeover as well and features a flock of cloud-filled birds, taken from Le Retour (1940) and als the work La Belle-Société (1965-66), which features the famous man in the bowler hat.

Brussels Airlines & Foundation Magritte #SNMagritte Event – Brussels Airport (BRU EBBR) – 2016 03 21 – 19 – Copyright © 2016 Ivan Coninx Photography

Brussels Airlines & Foundation Magritte #SNMagritte Event – Brussels Airport (BRU EBBR) – 2016 03 21 – 14 – Copyright © 2016 Ivan Coninx Photography

Brussels Airlines & Foundation Magritte #SNMagritte Event – Brussels Airport (BRU EBBR) – 2016 03 21 – 16 – Copyright © 2016 Ivan Coninx Photography

The design of the aircraft was created by three young Belgian designers, working in the Brussels Airlines marketing team. The painting of the aircraft was realized by airbrush artist Andre Eisele, who previously had also worked on Rackham. The entire paint job took place in the painting facilities of Eirtech in Ostrava, Czech Republic.

Spotters, aviation enthusiasts and Magritte fans can follow the whereabouts of the plane on brusselsairlines.com and are invited to share their pictures tagged with #SNMagritte. Those who don’t have the chance to fly with Magritte, can still visit the plane virtually here, thanks to a 360° plane tour created by Belgian startup AroundMedia.

The special Magritte livery will remain until 2022.

Many more photos of this unique event are available on a dedicated album on Flickr.