Sun Country Airlines Revives 1990s Livery in Tribute to Co-Founder

Sun Country Airlines has unveiled a Boeing 737-800 in a retro scheme inspired by its 1994 livery. The aircraft, registration N826SY, is part of the airline's 43-year history and honors co-founder and first president Jim Olsen, who passed away in April 2026.

The retro design features sweeping red-and-orange stripes running along the fuselage and a logotype that places the airline firmly in the charter-holiday era it came from. The aircraft will fly Sun Country's normal scheduled route network out of Minneapolis, Saint Paul through 2026, giving passengers a chance to spot the distinctive livery.

Sun Country has reinvented itself as a hybrid passenger/cargo operator and is trying to claim mind-share with leisure passengers. The airline says the retro jet honours the employees and communities that built the airline over four decades. A single nostalgic paint job tells a brand's story instantly, making it a shrewd marketing move for the carrier.