Icelandic Carrier PLAY Reveals Stunning Airbus A321neo
When it comes to having a bold livery, Iceland’s PLAY is following in the footsteps of its spiritual predecessor, WOW Air. The latter had most of its jets painted in a striking all-purple livery. Now, just over two years after WOW’s collapse, PLAY is set to launch services with its first full-red A321neo aircraft. The airline shared photos of its first aircraft freshly painted in its new colors.
Ready, player one!
On Sunday evening, PLAY posted some photos of its first aircraft, newly painted, on its Facebook page. The airline’s eight photos show the Airbus A321neo in a hangar with its shiny new livery. Engine covers seen in most of the photos indicate just how ‘fresh’ the aircraft’s paint job actually is.
Accompanying the photos was a blurb, partially in Icelandic. Referencing a 2011 science fiction novel (and 2018 movie), the blurb roughly translates to the following:
“Ready, player one! This one is in the competition and has an ambitious plan to help Icelanders paint the big cities red
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About PLAY’s first aircraft
PLAY’s first aircraft is an Airbus A321neo registered as TF-AEW, which, according to data from ch-aviation, is out on lease. The actual owner of the jet is major aircraft lessor AerCap with data suggesting that it is on lease until at least 2026.
TF-AEW is three years old and first flew with Mexico’s Interjet in 2018. The aircraft was withdrawn from use at the end of March 2020 and returned to the care of its owner, AerCap. After some maintenance time in the United States, the A321 joined PLAY in May 2021.
The aircraft is configured to accommodate 192 passengers in an all-economy configuration, which looks to offer 34 inches of pitch at every seat. If this data is accurate, it would indicate a surprisingly generous pitch compared to other budget airlines operating the A321. Indeed, Wizz Air’s A321s are all configured with 239 seats, all having a pitch of just 28 inches.
Pay less, play more
Working towards its late-June launch date, the airline also revealed what its cabin crew members will be wearing. Flight attendants can be found wearing white sneakers and casual, comfortable red (or dark grey) outfits.
With its inaugural flight set to take place on June 24th, from Keflavik to London Stansted, it looks like the airline is indeed ready to play. The airline’s published destinations out of Keflavik airport also include Copenhagen, Berlin, Paris, Barcelona, Alicante, and Tenerife.
