Brussels Airlines’ brand new Belgian Icon plane is set to make its maiden flight, showing off a livery inspired by one of the northern European nation’s most recognisable landmarks.
The “Atomium” aircraft design, by architect Thomas Faes, is dedicated to the Atomium, a modernist pavilion created for the 1958 World Fair. Featuring nine giant steel spheres connected by steel tubes, the original structure represents an iron crystal, magnified 165 billion times, and is perhaps the world’s most literal example of fifties’ scientific progress and atomic culture. It remains to this day Belgium’s most-visited building, offering a panoramic view of the capital from the 102-metre altitude of its top sphere.
Now though, thanks to the country’s flag carrier, the legend of the Atomium will give air passengers an even broader view across the city and beyond, as its iconic form takes to the skies. The aircraft’s first commercial operation is scheduled for 27 March 2025 at 9.25am, when flight SN2809 will depart from Brussels Airport for Prague.
“A stunning visual tribute”
At the Atomium building in the north of Brussels, pride reigns. “Seeing our beloved monument soaring through the skies is not only a stunning visual tribute but also a powerful symbol of our shared mission to showcase the best of Belgium internationally. said Julie Almau Gonzalez, General Director, adding “We are incredibly proud to see the Atomium take flight and bring a piece of Belgium to every corner of the world Brussels Airlines reaches.”
To get to this point, the Atomium design had to beat more than 900 would-be liveries in a competition launched in August 2024. Other candidates included a range of typically Belgian heritage, from Art Nouveau creations to comic book characters and cycling. Over 50,000 people participated in a public vote to narrow the field. The final decision, made by a jury of creatives and airline executives, “wasn’t easy,” according to Brussels Airlines’ CEO Dorothea von Boxberg, but “is the perfect fit.” Von Boxberg points out that the Atomium has “long been woven” into the airline’s identity, “from the nine red dots in our logo or on our aircraft’s tails to the lining of the blazers or the scarves in our uniforms.”
A human journey and 400 litres of paint
The man behind the idea, Faes has been fascinated by the Atomium since childhood. He has been struck, he says, by “the human journey behind it all” as well as “the first 3D simulation” as well as now, “seeing the aircraft in real life, experiencing that magical transition from concept to reality. I am incredibly proud of the result, which blends elegance with modernity.”
As well as the plane’s exterior, which took 400 litres of paint and 2,400 hours of work from XXL airbrush artist André Eisele, the inside of the aircraft also tells the Atomium story, with original sketches and historical photos of its construction to present-day imagery.
Eisele has worked on all the previous eight Belgian Icons in Brussels Airlines’ stable. They include homages to the country’s beloved comic book character Tintin, the male and female national football teams, Belgian surrealist star Magritte, the Smurfs, Old Master Pieter Bruegel the Elder, and two aircraft dedicated to the Tomorrowland Festival. The Atomium aircraft will be in use for the next five years.
