BA100: 41. The British Airways Coat Of Arms

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This article was first published in the summer of 2019 as part of a 100 part series on the history of BA and its predecessor airlines. You can read the full series in numerical order here, or by theme here.

British Airways was granted a coat of arms in 1975.

The central shield of BA’s coat of arms features a quarter union flag which appeared on the first two British Airways liveries, Negus and Landor.

The shield is supported by a winged horse and a winged lion. The lion, as the heraldic symbol of England is shown with wings to reflect flying and a crown to reflect supremacy.

Above the shield is a helmet, topped with an astral cloud and a full sun. The motto is “To Fly. To Serve”

The coat of arms also featured on the tail fin of the Landor livery which was introduced in 1984.

The coat of arms was removed from the livery when the Project Utopia and then Chatham Dockyard livery was introduced in 1997.

However, following a brand relaunch in 2011 when companies tracing their heritage was very much in vogue, the coat of arms and its motto was resurrected and featured prominently in advertising.

The coat of arms also features on many BA aircraft and at some airports, such as the entrance to the First Wing at London Heathrow Terminal 5:

You can read the full series from our 100 part series on the history of BA in numerical order here, or by theme here.