London Heathrow has welcomed the final aircraft in a series of retro liveries by British Airways.

The Boeing 747 was repainted in the Negus design at Dublin Airport.

The livery featured on the BA fleet from 1974 to 1980, which was directly after the merger of British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC) and British European Airways (BEA).

British Airways ambassadors welcome the special plane to London Heathrow (Steve Parsons/PA)
British Airways ambassadors welcome the special plane to London Heathrow (Steve Parsons/PA)

It was the first time a plane carried the name British Airways since 1939.

The repainted 747 will operate long-haul routes and will keep the retro design until it is taken out of service in 2022.

It is the fourth plane to be given a heritage livery in recent weeks as part of British Airways’ centenary celebrations.

British Airways 747
The plane was greeted into Heathrow (Steve Parsons/PA)

The first three makeovers featured a BOAC 747, a BEA Airbus 319 and a British Airways Landor 747.

British Airways chief executive Alex Cruz said: “Reintroducing four heritage designs into our fleet has been an incredibly nostalgic time for us and our customers. We’re impressed at how popular they’ve been.

“In our centenary year it’s important that we celebrate our past, and we also have big plans to look to the future.

“I’m excited about what the rest of this year has in store.”

Aircraft Transport and Travel Limited (AT and T) launched the world’s first daily international scheduled flight between London and Paris in August 1919.

British Airways describes AT and T as its “forerunner company” due to a series of mergers and takeovers.