The Airlines Taking Olympic Sponsorship to New Heights

The Olympics are big business. Alongside broadcasting rights, merchandising, and ticket sales, corporate sponsorship plays a vital revenue-generating role. However, from a travel perspective, Airbnb is the only company currently in the International Olympic Committee’s TOP – or ‘The Olympic Partners’ – Program.

Organizations in this elite group are typically long-term sponsors of the Olympic Movement and include household names such as Coca-Cola, Omega, and Visa. Each has an exclusive category and is awarded with global rights over a given sector. For example, Airbnb’s official status is ‘Unique Accommodation Products and Unique Experiences Services’ partner.

But that’s only half the story. There are plenty of other ways for a company to be closely associated with the Games, without breaking the bank with a TOP-level deal.

For airlines, one of the most popular methods is sponsoring their home country’s Olympic and Paralympic teams. While some seem content with a photo-call with athletes at the airport, others go a step further to leverage the deal. 

As Paris 2024 gets underway, here are some of the most eye-catching airline campaigns from this summer’s tournament:

Delta Air Lines

Delta recently signed a new eight-year partnership with the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee. Notably, this covers the 2028 Games, which are due to take place in Los Angeles. To mark the agreement, the company painted one of its newest planes with a special design. Emblazoned with ‘Team USA’, it carries the Olympic and Paralympic logos, alongside the all-important ‘Official Airline’ messaging. 

The Airbus A350 livery was created by Delta’s in-house art director Alessandra Rabellino and internal brand team, Window Seat. It is inspired by the jetstream of an aircraft, with the red, white, and blue imagery a subtle horizontal nod to Paris’ Eiffel Tower.

As part of the sponsorship deal as Team USA’s official airline, Delta is managing travel for all U.S. athletes. However, the start of the Paris Games couldn’t have come at a worse time for the firm.

Delta was hit harder than any other major carrier by the CrowdStrike outage, with its global network still recovering as Ed Bastian, the carrier’s CEO, flew to Paris. The U.S. Department of Transportation says it is investigating the operational meltdown.

As well as Los Angeles in 2028, the commercial contract also covers the Winter edition in Milan in 2026. Delta previously held sponsor status when the Olympics came to its hometown of Atlanta in 1996 and Salt Lake City in 2002. 

Air Canada

Earlier this year, Air Canada renewed a major partnership as the official airline for the country’s Olympic and Paralympic teams. The deal extends to include the Winter edition of the Games in 2030. 

To further raise the profile of the agreement, the airline painted one of its largest aircraft, the Boeing 777, in a special golden scheme. As well as blockbuster ‘Go Canada Go’ titles along the side of the plane, the usual red maple leaf logo is replaced with a distinctive gold version. 

The new deal will see Air Canada fly more than 1,000 athletes and delegation members to and from Paris over the coming weeks.

The carrier has sponsored Team Canada in various forms for more than three decades. It has been the official airline of the Canadian Olympic Team since 1988 and Canadian Paralympic Team since 2007.

Notable elements of its deal for Paris 2024 include a “significant” Air Canada on-the-ground presence in the French Capital. There are also airport celebrations planned as athletes return from the Games. As an added sweetener, Team Canada athletes are also eligible for complimentary elite status in the carrier’s Aeroplan loyalty program. 

Qantas

Australia’s national airline unveiled a special ‘Go Australia’ design to mark its sponsorship of the country’s Olympic and Paralympic Teams. The Boeing 787 Dreamliner has a bespoke graphic in the green and gold colors traditionally associated with Australian sports teams. 

Qantas’ formal association with the Games stretches back to 1948 when the airline carried athletes and other delegates to the London Olympics for the first time. More recently, the carrier’s engineering department has helped design custom cushions and support devices to allow Paralympic passengers to travel more comfortably on long-haul flights.  

The developments come as Qantas serves Paris nonstop for the first time. On July 12, a new route from Perth in Western Australia to the French capital was launched.

However, with flight times of up to 17 hours and 20 minutes, it’s a marathon rather than a sprint. Services currently operate four times weekly before dropping down to thrice weekly in the second week of August.

Wizz Air

Proving that even low-cost airlines can find a marketing niche is Wizz Air. The Budapest-based budget operator is the official airline for Team Hungary. To mark the deal, Wizz has painted one of its Airbus A321neo planes with a striking gold design. Rather fittingly, the new-look aircraft made its debut on the Budapest to Paris route.

Unlike some other carriers that charter a special one-off flight, all of Hungary’s athletes and supporting personnel are traveling on regularly scheduled services. Wizz Air describes this as an opportunity for passengers to meet sports stars during their travels. Between 180 and 190 people make up Team Hungary for Paris 2024. 

Zsolt Gyulay, president of the Hungarian Olympic Committee said: “We used to look at the Olympic aircraft of other nations with envy. I am very happy that Hungarian athletes can already feel how important they are, how many people support them – for which I am very grateful to Wizz Air.”

The design is the result of a 13-strong team who worked on the project for two months. The decoration itself took a week to apply. 

Air France

As an official partner of Paris 2024, Air France says it expects to carry more than one in five international athletes to and from the tournament. Earlier this month, the company presented its newest plane, an A350 fresh off the assembly line at Airbus’ Toulouse factory in southern France. Rather aptly, the aircraft is named ‘Paris’ in honor of the French capital. This follows a decision in 2019 to revive the former tradition of naming its planes after French cities.

Despite Air France’s high-profile involvement in the Games, the outside of the plane itself is a modest affair. Sitting below the passenger windows on the side of the aircraft is a very simple design showing the logos of the Olympic and Paralympic Games. 

Air France’s commercial involvement in the Games is much more visible on the ground in central Paris. Until August 11, the company is running a dedicated exhibition space at the Palais de Tokyo in Paris. Designed for visitors of all ages, the space, which is a celebration of all things Air France spans almost 3,000 sq ft. 

Highlights include virtual reality cockpit tours and a replica of the company’s latest business class seat. However, the pièce de résistance is the Air France restaurant. The gastronomic pop-up is serving up the same culinary delights as those found in the carrier’s long-haul business cabin. Triple Michelin-starred French chef Arnaud Lallement is the brains behind the project.

What About British Airways?

One big name notable for its absence this year is British Airways. The company has a long-standing history of flying the country’s athletes to tournaments around the world. However, things look a little different for Paris 2024.

Given the nonstop high-speed rail link between London and the French capital, it is Eurostar transporting Team GB to and from the Games this year. As part of a multinational sponsorship deal, the rail company has also partnered with sporting organizations in Belgium, Germany, and the Netherlands. 

To mark the agreement, a pair of special golden trains are traveling throughout the network this summer. Other marketing momentos include Olympic-themed chocolates and cocktails that are available in Eurostar’s Business Premier lounges in Paris and London.

During the Games, Eurostar expects to transport more than 2,000 Olympic and Paralympic athletes, plus supporting personnel. The company claims the partnership will help teams cut their carbon footprint by up to 96% compared to flying.

Watch Air France-KLM CEO Ben Smith Talk Paris 2024 with Skift Here: