Air New Zealand unveils latest Hobbit livery

Air New Zealand has unveiled a new special livery promoting the latest Hobbit movie. The airline has adorned one of its Boeing 777-300 aircraft with a picture of the mythical dragon Smaug, which lends its name to the new movie, ‘The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug’. The 54-metre-long dragon is emblazoned on both sides of the aircraft, which was unveiled in Auckland on Tuesday. The national carrier’s CEO, Christopher Luxon, said Air New Zealand had been in long discussions for permission to feature Smaug on the ‘flying billboard’ ahead of the film’s official release. “For our partners to allow Air New Zealand to reveal their star to the world is a huge privilege. We worked with Weta Digital which designed the graphic especially for us for this purpose,” he said. This is Air New Zealand’s second Hobbit livery, following an initial design created for ‘The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey’. The latest aircraft will now fly to Los Angeles in time for the movie’s premiere on 2 December. Source: Travel Daily