Alaska Airlines is celebrating 15 years of flying to Hawaii by designing a new Hawaiian-themed livery.
The airline announced that it is partnering with Hawaii-based illustrator Shar Tuiʻasoa of Punky Aloha Studio to design its second special-edition painted aircraft in honor of the Aloha State.
The complete design will be revealed later in the year, but Alaska Airlines has said that the artwork will reflect Hawaii’s ‘Pledge to Keiki’, a promise to protect one’s home for the next generation.
Tuiʻasoa is a renowned artist and illustrator with a signature bold, striking and colorful modern graphic style that showcases Polynesian heritage.
Alaska Airlines’ employee-led Pacific Islander Alliance, one of the company’s 12 Business Resource Groups, advocated for Tui’asoa’s work as a skilled artist proudly representing Hawaii and the Pacific Islander culture.
“With the recent retirement of our first Hawaiʻi-themed livery, we are thrilled to work with another local artist to honor our connection to the Islands,” said Daniel Chun, Alaska Airlines’ Hawaiian Director of Sales, Community & Public Relations in a statement.
“We love Shar’s work, and we share many of the same values and commitment to Hawaiʻi. It’s our goal to not just paint an airplane, but to carry the message about being a mindful traveler and invite our guests to join us in caring for Hawai‘i and the many places we live and fly,” Chun continued.
In 2022, Alaska Airlines partnered with Kanu Hawaiʻi and signed the ‘Pledge To Our Keiki’ – an invitation for residents and visitors to give something back during their time on the islands of Hawaii.
Alaska Airlines painted its first Hawaii-themed airplane in 2013, after hosting a statewide ‘Paint-the-Plane’ contest for local students.
Nicknamed the ‘Spirit of the Islands’, the unique paint theme depicted Hawaii’s cultural diversity and was designed by a local artist and Honolulu high school junior Aaron Nee.
After nearly a decade of flying throughout Alaska Airlines’ route network, the ‘Spirit of the Islands’ livery was retired in May 2022.