Colors and design trends often come and go at a rapid clip, but when it comes to aircraft, clean, crisp white definitely isn’t just the new black. It’s by far the undisputed favorite for airline liveries year after year. Sure, the shade looks sleek and serves as a neutral backdrop for a carrier’s branding, but the many reasons white continues to dominate the runways go way beyond simple aesthetics. Read on for the not-so-colorful facts behind why so many planes take to the skies dressed in white.
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Are there rules about plane colors?
Generally, no. In the United States, the FAA regulates how planes can be painted, including the materials used, and ensures they meet safety protocols. Worldwide, the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) sets recommended practices for aircraft visibility and identification but doesn’t prescribe specific paint types or colors.
Corry Lane, a pilot and director of safety at the private jet charter and management company Cirrus Aviation Services, adds that there are no regulatory color requirements differentiating commercial from private jets. “Operational and branding priorities influence choices,” he explains. “Commercial airlines usually prioritize resale value and brand identity, while private jets often reflect personal taste or luxury branding, leading to more varied and custom designs.”
Shea Oakley, a commercial aviation historian, notes that Europe does have one very specific regulation about aircraft paint: The tops of wings cannot be painted red. The reason? Safety rules dictate that wings, especially near emergency exits, must be painted in a light color to aid passengers in emergencies.
“British Airways discovered this a few years ago,” Oakley says. “For its 100th anniversary, the company wanted to paint one of its aircraft with red upper wings as a tribute to predecessor carrier British European Airways (BEA) and was told by the U.K. equivalent of the F.A.A. that this was no longer allowed.”
Why are planes usually white?
There are no strict rules about what color planes must be, but there are several practical reasons that most are painted white.
Lower cost
Complex designs and multi-color schemes can be pricey. “Costs [for paint jobs] range from $50,000 to $200,000 or more depending on aircraft size and customization,” Lane says, pointing out that smaller jets like his company maintains require less paint and cost less—especially when painted in widely available white.
Cooler aircraft
“White reflects sunlight, keeping the aircraft cooler on the ground and reducing air-conditioning load,” says Nevada-based Lane. “I have operated aircraft in extremely high temperature environments and can affirm that the exterior color can make a substantial difference in cockpit and cabin temperatures.”
Increased fuel efficiency
According to Lane, a Boeing 747’s paint job can add up to a whopping 1,200 pounds to its overall weight. But that’s still less than what darker colors would pile on. “White paint requires fewer layers than darker colors, reducing weight and improving fuel efficiency,” he says.
More visibility
White surfaces make dangerous cracks, oil leaks and corrosion much easier to spot. And while bird strikes are inevitable, white improves visibility and may help reduce the risk of collisions. It also aids emergency workers in search-and-rescue missions. “White improves visual contrast against most backgrounds—especially water, forests or mountainous terrain,” says Rock Saddy, pilot liaison at Cirrus Aviation Services.
Better resale
Planes with unique colors or custom designs—like Nicki Minaj’s hot pink, 14-passenger private jet!—can make for a harder sale. Lane explains that white jets are far easier to rebrand or transfer to a new operator and serve as a neutral, blank canvas, making it easier for leasing companies or airlines to repaint aircraft with new liveries. A neutral shade “minimizes transition costs and turnaround time, which is especially valuable in private aviation and commercial leasing markets,” says Saddy.
Less fading
In the past, white was a popular choice for planes because other colors tended to fade faster due to exposure to the elements, including increased levels of ultraviolet radiation. However, Oakley notes that this is far less of a concern in the 21st century, since “advances in paint technology have made this less of a problem.”
Has it always been the case that planes are usually painted white?
Passenger planes began operating in the early 20th century, and most were initially left in their natural state, with a bare metal finish. “There was a sort of unspoken code in the industry that all-aluminum airliners should show off the fact that they were no longer made of wood!” says Oakley.
That began to change as the decades passed. “WWII did see the advent of a myriad of camouflage paint schemes for military aircraft,” he notes. “The first airliners started getting white upper fuselages around 1950,” when carriers like United and Pan Am pioneered “white crowns” for practical reasons—like corrosion protection and heat reduction compared with bare metal.
Oakley points to the defunct U.S. carrier Braniff International Airways as a colorful and bold exception. In 1965, the company made a splash when it introduced its “The End of the Plain Plane” campaign, painting aircraft in pastels while keeping the wings and tails white. The company’s colorful trend continued until its bankruptcy in the early 1980s.
Today, a shade Oakley calls “Euro white” is the most common airline color worldwide. But some carriers still fly their own way, branding entire aircraft in unique color schemes.
Which planes are not white?
“Multiple unique ‘one-off’ liveries for single aircraft have become quite popular in the last roughly 35 years,” Oakley says. Some whimsical examples include Japan’s ANA Star Wars–themed aircraft and Air New Zealand’s Lord of the Rings–inspired plane designs, a nod to the franchise filmed in that country.
Closer to home, Spirit Airlines uses a vivid yellow-and-black design fleet-wide, while Southwest’s “Heart” livery combines bold blue, summit silver, sunrise yellow and warm red. “It is basically a marketing ploy,” aviation historian Oakley says.
Military planes are also rarely white. Instead, they’re often painted in stealth blacks, grays or camouflage to reduce visibility or detection.
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Sources:
- Rock Saddy, pilot liaison, Cirrus Aviation Services; email interview, July 2025
- Corry Lane, director of safety at Cirrus Aviation Services; email interview, July 2025
- Shea Oakley, commercial aviation historian; email interview, July 2025
- FlightGlobal: “BA Compromises on Red Wings for Retro BEA A319”
- ANA: “The Star Wars Project”
- The New Zealand Herald: “Air New Zealand Hobbit Plane Among the ‘Ugliest Planes That Have Ever Flown'”
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