Qatar Airways (Doha) and F.C. Barcelona (Barcelona) have jointly introduced a newly repainted Boeing 777-300 ER in the colors of the well-known football (soccer) club.

Qatar Airways and F.C. Barcelona issued this statement on February 20, 2014:

Qatar Airways and F.C. Barcelona are taking their partnership to the skies as the airline introduces F.C. Barcelona’s livery for the first time on a Boeing 777. The aircraft, which features the distinctive Barça scarlet and blue, or ‘Blaugrana’ as it is known in Catalan, arrived at Doha International Airport from Bangkok this week.

Building on the concept of ‘a team that unites the world’, which was first introduced in the popular TV spot created to support the partnership, the design incorporates the colorful Barça flag draped across the fuselage of a Boeing 777.

The aircraft was sent to Dublin, Ireland, where it took a team one week to hand paint the custom-made design onto the aircraft. Using an airbrush the team produced a shading effect to help create the illusion of the Barça flag moving as the aircraft takes to the skies. Additional stenciling was used for the text as well as the football club’s crest which sits on the fuselage of the aircraft.

Qatar Airways first revealed renderings of this aircraft’s tailor-made design at a press conference in Barcelona last March.

The introduction of the F.C. Barcelona livery, alongside the Qatar Airways Oryx logo, further cements the airline’s commitment to the partnership, as well as their loyalty as Barça fans. Qatar Airways and F.C. Barcelona have been fostering a successful partnership since it officially commenced in July 2013.

“Our commitment to Barca goes beyond having our name on the team jerseys. We are truly fans of the team and genuinely believe that together we are ‘a team that unites the world’,” said Qatar Airways Chief Executive Officer Akbar Al Baker. “We are very proud to showcase the FCB livery alongside the Qatar Airways Oryx on our aircraft. It is just one more way that we are able to demonstrate the strong partnership between our two organizations.”

In the nearly eight months since the partnership has been in effect, the airline has launched a hugely successful partnership campaign including the Land of FCB TV commercial that has garnered more than eight million views from fans all over the world; officially sponsored the FC Barcelona Asia Tour, and introduced unique tour and match packages for fans looking to visit Barcelona through Qatar Airways Holidays division.

Copyright Photo: Qatar Airways. Boeing 777-3DZ ER A7-BAE (msn 36104) is the aircraft selected for this new special color scheme.

Video “Around the World” TV commercial (in Italian):