From the Airbus factory in Hamburg, Iberia has taken delivery of a new, 141-seat A-319, registered as EC-KHM, and named Búho Real (Royal Owl), in keeping with the policy instituted this year of publicising Spain’s endangered species.
This campaign is intended to raise awareness at all the destinations reached by the airline of Spain’s biodiversity and some of its unique native species, and to remind customers, employees, and the public at large of the need to protect and preserve them.
This is the seventh aircraft received by Iberia in 2007, all in the Airbus A-320 family, and all named for endangered Spanish species –the Iberian Imperial Eagle, the Iberian Lynx, the Brown Bear, the Black Stork, the Spanish grouse and the Otter.
A picture of the Royal Owl has been painted on the fuselage of the aircraft bearing its name, and will remain there until the species is removed from the endangered list. Information sheets in passenger seat pockets describe the unique characteristics of this bird of prey, which lives in the mountains and high cliffs.
The new aircraft brings to 17 the total of number of Airbus A-319s flown by Iberia. They incorporate all the latest technical advances and are much quieter than other aircraft in their class, while providing better service to customers. This model belongs to the Airbus A-320 family, which includes the A-319, the A-320, and the A-321, of which Iberia has a total of 82 units.
And here are the pictures of these endangered species:
Well done, Iberia! We love your campaign!
By Szafi
And here is one of the first photos of the plane with the sticker on the front underneath the cockpit windows:
http://www.airliners.net/open.file/1240831/L/
But why is it registered under German flag?
Why under German flag?
But please notice that on the top of the tail, it is already painted with the future Spanish registration “KHM”, only the normal, legally required registration remains German until the official delivery.
Becuase the picture was taken at Hamburg, in the Airbus factory, where it does/did all the test flights, etc. under the German flag. As soon as Iberia takes official delivery, the registration is changed and it becomes Spanish!
Oh, that makes sense, thx