Sun Country Airlines Honors 43 Year Legacy with Special Retro Livery
- Joe Breitfeller
- 3 minutes ago
- 3 min read
Sun Country Airlines has today unveiled a new special retro livery honoring their 43-year heritage, while paying tribute to the carrier’s Minnesota roots, and the customers and employees who shaped their journey.
On Tuesday (May 12, 2026), Sun Country Airlines unveiled a special retro aircraft livery celebrating the airline’s origins and honoring the people and communities who have shaped its 43-year journey. This is only Sun Country’s second special livery. Inspired by Sun Country’s 1994 design, the livery honors the airline’s Minnesota roots and the generations of employees and customers who helped shape the airline’s story. What began as a small hometown carrier founded by a passionate group of aviators has grown into an airline deeply woven into the fabric of the Twin Cities and the communities they serve.
In Tuesday’s announcement, Sun Country Airlines’ President and CEO, Jude Bricker, said,
“It is rare for an airline to be in business for 43 years. Sun Country’s founders were scrappy, and the airline weathered competition, economic downturns, 9/11, wars, multiple owners, bankruptcies, the pandemic, and the surging consumer desire to prioritize travel. Sun Country survived and thrived. That grittiness, pride, and entrepreneurial spirit continued for decades because our team members have been passionate about the uniqueness of this airline. Sun Country’s deep roots in the Twin Cities mean that our employees are serving customers we know, because they are our relatives, friends, and neighbors. Throughout the community, everyone has a story about the first time they flew Sun Country, the iconic cheeseburgers, or maybe even sipping a local brew at 35,000 feet. Our customer support shaped the growth of the airline and increased destinations.”
Additionally, the aircraft is dedicated to Sun Country pilot, co-founder, and first president Jim Olsen, who sadly passed away in April 2026. Alongside his fellow founding members, Olsen defied the odds, building the airline from the ground up. Uniforms were hand-sewn, flights were catered with wholesale goods, and aircraft were cleaned every Tuesday by the very crews that flew them. That roll-up-your-sleeves spirit that defined Sun Country in its earliest days and remains central to the airline today.
While much of the livery is the original 1994 design, the tail features the current Sun Country compass logomark as a nod to the current brand, which is set to be acquired by Allegiant Air in a deal expected to close on May 13, 2026. Both brands represent strong value airlines, and their combination will bring more value and more service to their customers, with Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport being the largest hub of the future combined company. Following deal close, there will be no change in service or schedules for either Sun Country or Allegiant customers. The special livery aircraft is expected to touch down in Minneapolis for the first time on Wednesday, May 13, 2026.
Founded in 1983, Sun Country Airlines (NASDAQ: SNCY) has evolved into a new breed of hybrid low-cost carrier. The award-winning Minneapolis-St. Paul based airline has distinguished itself as a leader in leisure travel over their 40 years of service. Sun Country offers low fares and safe, reliable, nonstop service to destinations across the U.S., Mexico, Central America, Canada and the Caribbean. Additionally, the carrier offers services through their Sun Country Charters and Sun Country Vacations divisions and operates cargo CMI services for Amazon. Sun Country Airlines will officially merge with Allegiant Travel Company on May 13, 2026.
Source: Sun Country Airlines / Globe Newswire
