Are you creative? "Paint the Plane" for AirAsia and visit Airbus' home in Toulouse!

There has never been better time for aviation enthusiasts to unleash our creativity!

Most of us have spent hours and hours as kids drawing and painting aircraft of all types...well, now we got the chance to do it for real! 

This would have been unthinkable only a few years back...Let's not forget that, until not long ago airlines were, together with national sports teams, national symbols and livery design was a serious matter, a reflection of this semi-diplomatic function...

The era of staid airline design having come, happily, to an end, airlines all over the World are increasingly asking the public to provide give them this extra creativity boost that can make their aircraft fresh and fun to fly... While, of course, fostering public engagement and getting some additional media coverage (like for example being featured on this blog!).

In the last few weeks we have, actually, had the chance to present a few of these initiatives, such as Vueling's European architecture Airbus A320 and Aeroflot's 90th anniversary Khokhloma Sukhoi Superjet livery, both designed by members of the public that participated in a public contest.

Now it's the turn of Malaysian carrier AirAsia, that wants you to design nothing less than the livery of one of its Airbus A330s!

It is not only your creative ego that is at stake, but a couple of great prizes for both the winner, that will get a trip to the Airbus factory in Toulouse, France (believe me, its worth it!) and the runner up that will get a round trip for two people to any AirAsia destination out of Kuala Lumpur.

How to take part in the Paint a Plane contest? 

To participate in the Paint the Plane contest you would need to be a fan of AirAsia Facebook or on Twitter, download A330 aircraft templates in PDF format or Adobe Illustrator format and then select which one of AirAsia's seven Airbus A330s (that go for the names of XKLusive, Xiao Long Bao, Xeoul Mate, Xiaolin Spirit, Xcintillating PhoeniX, Harmonious DiverXity and Xakura Blossom) you wish to design and then submit your proposal to the airline by email at facebook@airasia.com

By the way, the design needs to be quite comprehensive and cover the whole of the aircraft (front, top, bottom, left, and right side).

You must also be 18 years old or more in order to participate and, although, I have not read of any restriction in terms of location, but I guess if you win or end up being runner up, it would be convenient to be located in Kuala Lumpur in order to take advantage of the prize flights

Hurry up because the contest accepts entries until midnight of the night of 12th to 13th September (Kuala Lumpur time)!  

As Picasso once said: "when inspiration comes, it better find me working!"