Airlink, Southern Africa’s premier regional airline, has officially turned heads across the aviation world by unveiling a stunning new bespoke livery. An Embraer E190 has traded its traditional look for a gorgeous, vibrant green getup that promises to be a favourite for plane spotters and passengers alike.

The newly-painted aircraft, registered as ZS-YAE, made its grand debut on Monday evening on a flight from Polokwane to O.R. Tambo International Airport. Beginning today, the eye-catching E190 will be hard at work operating on Airlink’s main domestic and regional trunk services throughout Southern and East Africa.

This striking green aircraft isn’t just about aesthetics; it carries a dual purpose. It is one of three aircraft featuring special paint schemes dedicated to the Airlink Skybucks customer loyalty programme. Furthermore, its rollout is perfectly timed with a massive sporting milestone. Airlink has been named the Official Domestic Airline for the forthcoming Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry 2026 Tournament where they will fly the New Zealand and South African teams and personnel between their matches.

Passengers and spotters will notice the tournament’s official logo proudly displayed on both sides of the fuselage. The logo will also soon be applied to its sistership, a sleek black E190 registered as ZS-YDE. Airlink continues to be a powerhouse in regional aviation, and with a fleet of over 70 Embraer-manufactured aircraft, the airline connects the region like no other, carrying over four million passengers annually on approximately 250 daily flights.

The transformation of ZS-YAE took place at Airlink’s impressive new maintenance base located at Polokwane’s Gateway International Airport in the Limpopo Province. A specialized team of six highly qualified technicians utilised advanced electrostatic equipment to pull off the flawless finish. The aircraft was painted in Airlink’s dedicated, massive 96m x 46m aircraft paint-shop—a facility boasting the capacity to repaint up to 13 aircraft a year.

Repainting a commercial jetliner is a meticulous blend of chemistry, engineering and art. To cover the 36.24m long fuselage, 3.01m diameter and 10.57m high tail, technicians applied one primer coat and two green coats. The process consumed approximately 60 liters of specialized paint imported from AERO Technique in the Netherlands. Each coat weighed roughly 35kg excluding hardener and thinners, yet dried to a microscopic thickness of just 55 to 75 microns, which is thinner than a single human hair. It required about two hours of drying time between coats, taking a total of 29 days from start to finish to strip, prepare and fully repaint the aircraft. This extensive process is part of a regular maintenance cycle, as Airlink repaints its aircraft every five to seven years.

For aviation enthusiasts and plane spotters looking to catch a glimpse or snap a photo of this green beauty, ZS-YAE is hitting the skies hard today, Wednesday, 01 July 2026. Keep your cameras ready and check your favorite flight tracking apps for these scheduled routes:

• Flight 4Z 797: Departs OR Tambo 10h10 Arrives Gqeberha 11h55
• Flight 4Z 798: Departs Gqeberha 12h40 Arrives OR Tambo 14h15
• Flight 4Z 555: Departs OR Tambo 15h05 Arrives Durban 16h20
• Flight 4Z 556: Departs Durban 17h00 Arrives OR Tambo 18h10

Established in 1992, Airlink is Southern Africa’s premier, privately-owned regional airline. Its modern fleet serves destinations across Southern Africa, Madagascar and St Helena Island. Offering global connectivity through its FlyNamibia franchise and prestigious inter-continental airline partners, Airlink remains the vital link connecting Southern Africa to the world.