Þingvellir (pronounced Thingvellir) is the newest member of our special livery family. Dressed up in the blue, white and red of the Icelandic flag, this beautifully decorated aircraft celebrates two major occasions for Icelanders in 2018.
The first occasion to celebrate is the 100-year anniversary of Icelandic National Sovereignty in 2018. It was on December 1, 1918 that Iceland was granted autonomy after six and a half centuries under Danish and Norwegian rule.
The second happy reason to celebrate in Iceland this year is the National Men’s Football Team’s debut at the World Cup this summer. As one of their primary sponsors, we wanted to mark this great event in a memorable way. So, we contacted our talented plane-painting friends in Norwich, England.
Þingvellir’s first flight took the powerful Tólfan supporters club to Moscow for the team’s first match. Tólfan is famous for having invented the awesome Viking Clap, and its members' presence is an essential part of the team’s every game. HUH!
We have a tradition of naming all our aircraft after Icelandic volcanoes and natural wonders. The Þingvellir plane is no exception, taking its name from the spectacular plains of Þingvellir where the Alþingi parliament was founded in 930 AD. Outdoor sessions were held at the site for almost 900 years and the Alþingi is often claimed to be the world’s oldest parliament.
The Þingvellir area is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site and national park. Aside from its historical importance, the area is of great geological interest as well. The Þingvellir plains are in fact a rift valley on the boundary between two tectonic plates, created by their drifting apart. It’s one of the few places in the world where this phenomenon can be seen clearly on dry land.