Spot The Papaya: Etihad’s McLaren F1-Liveried Boeing 787 Hits The Skies

Credit: Etihad Airways Published Nov 10, 2026, 5:22 AM EST A graduate in German, Jake has a passion for history and regional aviation, and enjoys sampling new carriers and aircraft. He has visited OEM facilities as far and wide as Bristol, Toulouse, and Seattle, and recently enjoyed the milestone of flying his 150th sector as a passenger. Based in Norfolk, UK. Sign in to your Simple Flying account Etihad Airways has revealed a stunning new livery for one of its Boeing 787-10 Dreamliner widebody twinjets. The Abu Dhabi-based UAE flag carrier has chosen to paint the aircraft in a distinctive orange and black color scheme, with the bulk of the jet sporting the famous 'papaya' shade worn by the McLaren Racing Formula One Team. The livery was teased this year as Etihad and McLaren teamed up. Etihad unveiled the new livery on the Boeing 787-10 Dreamliner, which bears the registration A6-BMI, at a glamorous event at its engineering facilities in Abu Dhabi. As well as celebrating the first time that a widebody jet has featured an F1 team's livery, the event also played host to a successful Guinness World Record attempt for the largest single-piece kabuki reveal. The jet re-enters service today. Pretty In Papaya Credit: Etihad Airways The McLaren name is one of the oldest and most iconic in F1, and, over the years, its cars have worn a wide range of legendary liveries. Most recently, however, the team's name has been associated with the striking 'papaya' shade of orange, which it has worn since 2017, including in McLaren driver Lando Norris's 2025 championship-winning season. Now, Etihad's Boeing 787-10 shares this color. Etihad describes the orange and black paint job as "one of the most prominent motorsport liveries ever carried by a commercial aircraft and a new way for guests and fans to connect with McLaren Racing." With its 787s serving a wide range of destinations all around the world, there will certainly be no shortage of attention for the striking orange scheme. Antonoaldo Neves, Etihad Airways' CEO, said that: "Etihad and McLaren Racing are two ambitious global brands with a shared focus on performance and a drive to keep moving forward. This aircraft will proudly carry that story from our home in Abu Dhabi to cities around the world." Part Of A Wider Partnership Credit: Etihad Airways While the recent reveal represented the first time that Etihad's new Dreamliner livery saw the light of day, it was actually teased by the Abu Dhabi-based UAE flag carrier earlier this year, more than eight months ago. At the end of February 2026, the airline announced that it had become an official partner of McLaren Racing, supporting both its Formula One and United Autosports WEC Hypercar teams. With this in mind, in its role as an Official Partner of McLaren Racing, Etihad's logo is emblazoned all over the team's cars and helmets, such as on the MCL40’s rear wing and halo. The carrier has long had close ties to Formula One, having been the title sponsor of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix since 2009. However, putting pen to paper on a deal to become an Official Partner of McLaren shifted its role up a gear. On this front, McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown welcomed the livery reveal as the latest development in his team's work with Etihad Airways, saying that "it's fantastic to see our partnership with Etihad Airways brought to life in such a unique way." He added that "the livery brings together two iconic global brands and will connect McLaren Racing and Etihad with fans and customers around the world." A Month Out Of Action Credit: Simple Flying According to Flightradar24, A6-BMI spent around a month on the ground as it received its new paint job. As seen in the animated route map above, flight tracking data shows that its last pre-repaint flight took place on October 11, as the Boeing 787-10 flew from Jakarta Soekarno Hatta International Airport (CGK) in Indonesia back to Abu Dhabi International Airport (AUH) in the UAE as flight EY475. Now that the jet has received its stunning new livery and been welcomed back into the fleet following the aforementioned extravagant ceremony, Madrid Barajas Airport (MAD) will be its first destination, with a round trip (EY103/104) operating on Tuesday, November 10. This will be followed by rotations to Phuket (HKT) in Thailand on November 11 and Dublin Airport (DUB) in Ireland on November 12.