What did Air Florida and Iraqi Airways have in common?

Air Florida and Iraqi Airways are two airlines you would never usually put into the same sentence. One was a former darling of US airline deregulation until its demise in 1984, while the other is the flag carrier of a Middle Eastern country.

While they are as unrelated as unrelated can be, there is one interesting thing they had in common. If I was able to notice it, I am sure you might have thought the same at one time or another.

Air Florida and Iraqi Airways

Pictures tell the story here, so let’s begin with the sunny and friendly Air Florida livery on a Boeing 737. I’ve always thought it was a rather pretty colour scheme.

Next, we have a look at another Boeing 737, this time in the Iraqi Airways colours. Now apart from the obvious differences in typeface and colours, there is quite a similarity. Do you see what I see? The basic design of the scheme is virtually identical, with the same transition from the tail which then swooshes up and over the top of the fuselage. Who wore it first? Who knows!

Overall Thoughts

So there you have it, Air Florida and Iraqi Airways have something in common. Did one introduce it first and the other think it looked great and decided to adapt it? Is there some kind of template scheme at Boeing and both airlines happened to choose it? Your guess is as good as mine.

Had you noticed this similarity before? Any ideas who had it first? Thank you for reading and if you have any comments or questions, please leave them below.

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Featured image by Bob Garrard on Flickr.
Air Florida Boeing 737-2T4 by Peter James Cook on Planespotters.net.
Iraqi Airways Boeing 737-201 by Alan Lebeda on Airliners.net via Wikimedia Commons.