Why Are Most Commercial Aircraft Painted White?
Reasons for Painting Aircraft White
Of course, there are exceptions, such as Air New Zealand turning a Boeing 777 into a giant advertisement for “The Lord of the Rings” film series, while some airlines prefer their aircraft in vibrant colors like orange or blue.
However, the majority of passenger planes we see are painted white, which may seem bland and unexciting. Why do airlines opt for white instead of more colorful and eye-catching designs to create a more stimulating experience for passengers? There are several reasons behind this choice.
Daily Stars explains this with the following reasons:
Safety Assurance
The color white is considered the best for displaying unusual signals, including identifying oil spills, cracks in the fuselage, or other potential hazards. In the event of an accident, white is easier to spot in water or on the ground, as well as being more visible at night.
White is seen as the safest and most suitable color for painting aircraft. (Image: Chennai Meme).
Lighter and More Cost-Effective
Applying additional layers of paint also means an increase in weight. A Boeing spokesperson once told Telegraph Travel: “Painting in other colors means each aircraft will weigh an additional 273 to 544 kg. This added weight means more fuel is required for flying, and 544 kg is equivalent to the weight of 8 passengers.”
The cost of painting an aircraft can be substantial, taking about 2-3 weeks. Moreover, more colors mean increased weight, leading to higher fuel consumption. Therefore, the resale value of colored aircraft tends to be lower and more challenging, as buyers would need to repaint them and deal with heavier fuselages.
Additionally, an aircraft will require multiple repaints throughout its lifetime due to direct exposure to sunlight and air. In this case, white paint is less prone to fading and maintains its appearance longer.
White Reflects Heat Better than Other Colors
White paint is also crucial for thermal management. Above the clouds during the day, aircraft are exposed to sunlight for hours. Typically, they also park at airports under direct sunlight, where the ground heats up. White paint helps absorb less heat and keeps the interior of the aircraft cool.
The lower heat absorption of white helps maintain cooler temperatures inside the aircraft, while other colors absorb more light and convert it into thermal energy, making everything uncomfortably hot.
Easier to Locate
White aircraft also facilitate easier search operations in the event of an accident. This is especially important if an aircraft crashes in a forest or ocean, as detecting wreckage becomes considerably easier.
White aircraft also facilitate easier search operations in the event of an accident.
Some Exceptions
There is another less common reason behind the choice of white: to reduce the risk of bird strikes, an incident that can kill birds and pose a danger to those on board.
Aircraft paint is a special type of paint. White paint is lighter than other colors. Given the substantial size of aircraft, white paint can reduce their weight by several hundred kilograms compared to colored paint, which is roughly equivalent to the weight of 8 passengers.
This means that each flight can accommodate ticket revenue from an additional 8 passengers. While this may seem like a minor detail, it is an economic consideration for airline managers and operators.
Painting aircraft in other colors, especially black, increases costs. Darker colors fade faster, meaning airlines must frequently repaint their aircraft more often than white-painted ones. Furthermore, it also makes it more difficult to resell the aircraft to other airlines.
However, there are still exceptions when airlines want their aircraft to stand out. For instance, WOW Air is known for its dark purple aircraft, while Mango Airlines features bright orange planes.
Notably, Air New Zealand has a Boeing 787-9 painted entirely black, known as the Black Livery. This unique paint job makes Air New Zealand’s aircraft one of the most recognizable in the world.
