Skyline's the limit as handover spirit takes off at Cathay

Handover celebrations reached new heights yesterday when Cathay Pacific unveiled a specially painted Boeing 747-200 bearing a huge depiction of Hong Kong's skyline and the message 'The Spirit of Hong Kong '97'.

'We feel that having one of our aircraft designed in a unique livery is a great way to spread the good news about Hong Kong's future,' Cathay deputy chairman Patrick Tsai Yen-tse said.

It took 27 days and 620 litres of green, white, grey and red paint for staff at the Taikoo Aircraft Engineering Company facility in Xiamen, China, to strip off the old livery and give the aircraft a new coat.

The white brushstroke design is by advertising agency McCann-Erickson and freelance artist Annie Lee On-nei.

A red line divides the green top and grey belly sections of the plane.

On one side, a message written in Chinese reads: 'Prosperity and progress will reach new heights', while the other side bears 'The Spirit of Hong Kong '97' legend.