Sun Country Airlines has unveiled a special retro aircraft livery celebrating the airline’s origins and honoring the people and communities who have shaped its 43-year journey. This is only Sun Country’s second special livery.
The special livery, inspired by Sun Country’s 1994 design, honors the airline’s Minnesota roots and the generations of employees and customers who helped shape its story. What began as a small hometown carrier founded by a passionate group of aviators has grown into an airline deeply woven into the fabric of the Twin Cities and the communities it serves.
“It is rare for an airline to be in business for 43 years,” said Jude Bricker, President and Chief Executive Officer of Sun Country Airlines. “Sun Country’s founders were scrappy, and the airline weathered competition, economic downturns, 9/11, wars, multiple owners, bankruptcies, the pandemic, and the surging consumer desire to prioritize travel. Sun Country survived and thrived. That grittiness, pride, and entrepreneurial spirit continued for decades because our team members have been passionate about the uniqueness of this airline. Sun Country’s deep roots in the Twin Cities mean that our employees are serving customers we know, because they are our relatives, friends, and neighbors. Throughout the community, everyone has a story about the first time they flew Sun Country, the iconic cheeseburgers, or maybe even sipping a local brew at 35,000 feet. Our customer support shaped the growth of the airline and increased destinations.”
The aircraft is also dedicated to Sun Country pilot, co-founder, and first president Jim Olsen, who passed away in April 2026. Alongside his fellow founding members, Olsen defied the odds, building the airline from the ground up. Uniforms were hand-sewn, flights were catered with wholesale goods, and aircraft were cleaned every Tuesday by the very crews that flew them. That roll-up-your-sleeves spirit that defined Sun Country in its earliest days and remains central to the airline today.
