Air New Zealand Completes 'Airline to Middle-Earth' Lord Of The Rings Themed Fleet

Air New Zealand, Airline to Middle-earth, on November 25 unveiled the fourth and final aircraft in its unique Lord of the Rings themed fleet.

Celebrating the role of women in The Lord of the Rings films, an Airbus A320 rolled out of Air New Zealand's main Auckland, New Zealand hangar to reveal its eye-catching design.

The Airbus billboard brings together two of the strong women of the motion picture trilogy with powerful images of New Zealand's dramatically beautiful landscape.

The faces of characters Arwen (Liv Tyler) and …owyn (Miranda Otto) are set against a glorious backdrop of remote George Sound in New Zealand's Fiordland National Park, captured by top New Zealand landscape photographer Andris Apse.

Air New Zealand Vice President Western Region Gus Gilmore said, "As the world's media increasingly focuses on New Zealand and its integral role in the motion picture trilogy, our flying billboards will play a major role in increasing awareness of New Zealand's appeal to international visitors. These evocative images will help us tell that story in the most impactful way possible, wherever we are in the world."

The decision to feature a Southern Lakes landscape on the final Lord of the Rings aircraft reinforces the link between the record-breaking motion picture trilogy and the landscape in which it was filmed.

As the newest aircraft in the Air New Zealand fleet, the Airbus will fly predominantly on the busy Tasman routes between New Zealand and Australia and to various Pacific Islands ensuring the Middle-earth message is seen throughout the South Pacific.

The four aircraft that make up Air New Zealand's Lord of the Rings themed fleet will criss-cross the world, carrying the images of Middle-earth to up to 22 international gateways including Los Angeles, Honolulu and London.