Aviationtag turns Icelandair’s Hekla Aurora into limited-edition tags

Aviationtag is releasing limited-edition tags made from the original skin of Icelandair’s retired Boeing 757 TF-FIU, the Hekla Aurora. The collaboration preserves the aircraft’s distinctive Northern Lights livery and gives collectors a piece of a plane that became one of Icelandair’s most recognizable jets.

Why it matters: - Aviationtag is preserving a piece of Icelandair aviation history by converting material from the Hekla Aurora into collectible tags. - The edition keeps the aircraft’s signature Northern Lights paint scheme in circulation after the Boeing 757 was retired. - The collaboration taps strong collector interest in aircraft with distinctive liveries and memorable service histories.

What happened: - Aviationtag and Icelandair launched a limited edition based on original outer skin from Boeing 757 TF-FIU, known as the Hekla Aurora. - Icelandair retired the aircraft in fall 2025 and later transferred it to Lleida, Spain. - Aviationtag collected sections of the fuselage in July 2026 and kept the original livery intact.

The details: - The aircraft made its first flight in April 1994. - TF-FIU first flew for Iberia and later Air Europa before joining Icelandair Group in 2004. - A specialized team painted the Northern Lights design in Norwich, England, in late 2014 using photos and airbrush work. - The livery combined green, turquoise, blue and dark night tones with an Icelandic winter landscape. - A custom LED setup inside the cabin was designed to echo the aurora experience for passengers. - Icelandair unveiled the Hekla Aurora in February 2015 with a flight from London to Reykjavík. - The aircraft served routes across Europe, Iceland and North America. - In October 2023, the Hekla Aurora carried 126 Icelandic citizens back from the Middle East via Jordan. - The aircraft later covered an Iceland domestic route between Reykjavík and Akureyri when another regional jet was unavailable. - Icelandair sent the Hekla Aurora on a farewell flight over Iceland on Oct. 12, 2025, with about 140 passengers aboard. - Aviationtag processed the salvaged material by hand in Cologne into limited-edition tags. - Pieces taken from different parts of the fuselage show different colors from the original paint scheme. - The edition is available at the company’s online release page. - Tobias Richter, Aviationtag co-founder, said the Hekla Aurora was unusual in its livery, history and public connection, and that the company wanted to preserve part of that legacy.

Between the lines: - The Hekla Aurora became more than a standard airframe because of its custom branding and the emotional attachment it built among aviation fans and Icelandair passengers. - Turning retired aircraft skins into collectibles creates a second life for aircraft parts that would otherwise be lost to scrap or storage. - The release leans on nostalgia, rarity and visual identity, three factors that often drive demand in aviation memorabilia.

What's next: - Aviationtag says the full colorful edition is now on sale. - Collector interest will likely depend on the remaining supply and the appeal of specific livery sections taken from the aircraft. - The partnership may serve as a template for future aviation memorabilia releases built around iconic aircraft and liveries.