Vueling Airlines (Barcelona) is teaming up with Pepsi to create a joint project called “Vueling by Pepsi”. Vueling also painted its Airbus A320-232 EC-MEQ (msn 6483) in a special Pepsi Max color scheme (above). The airline issued this statement:

Vueling and Pepsi have linked their brands for the first time and are presenting a joint project called Vueling by Pepsi, calling for the installation of electric power sockets in more than 60 aircraft over the next five years thanks to Pepsi. Thus Vueling becomes Europe’s first low-cost carrier to incorporate this technological innovation.

To launch the project, at the Barcelona-El Prat airport on April 21, the two companies presented the first aircraft with an exclusive and striking fuselage bearing the Pepsi MAX brand and a new cabin interior with a remodelled business zone where the new power sockets will be placed.

Pepsi will sponsor the installation of the power sockets, becoming Vueling’s strategic commercial partner since it will also become official provider of soft drinks on board. Since 11th March the Vueling in-flight menu includes internationally recognized brands such as Pepsi, Pepsi Light, Pepsi MAX, Lipton Ice Tea, and Tropicana juices, as well as local brands such as Kas. The Pepsi impact will reach the 25 million passengers Vueling carries every year on more than 170,000 flights.

Passengers seated in the new “Priority” zone (rows 1-4) will be able to recharge their electronic devices during the flight thanks to power points supplying electricity in 220 and 110 volt formats as sell as via a 5-volt USB port, with which to charge laptops, tablets, and mobile phones. Over the next five years more than seven million passengers may avail themselves of this new on-board equipment.

The new business zone is set off from the rest of the passenger cabin by separator panels behind row 4 with new blue-toned ambient lighting in the side panels that evoke the colour of the Pepsi drink. Passengers in this zone enjoy more comfortable seats and more room, and customers in the Excellence row will get new services such as small towels and hot meals.

Vueling chairman and CEO Álex Cruz commented: “This alliance with Pepsi has been decisive in taking another step in our efforts to transform our passengers’ flying experience by offering them what they demand the most, such as the option to keep working with their laptops or checking the contents of their tablets or phones.”

Xavier Orriols, PepsiCo’s South West Europe President said “At Pepsi we bet on innovation as one of the keys to our growth, and consequently this is a highly satisfactory kind of cooperation since it enables us to stress our brand values and impact on the millions of passengers that Vueling carries every year.”

Vueling was founded in July, 2004, with a fleet of two Airbus A320s and four initial routes and is part of the International Airlines Group (IAG). In the 2015 summer season, Vueling will operate more than 325 routes to 150 cities in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, with more than 700 flights each day, and 22 operational bases. The airline has carried more than 95 million passengers.

Video and images by Vueling Airlines.

Vueling aircraft slide show: 

Video: The painting of EC-MEQ: