What happened to Air New Zealand’s Lord of the Rings Boeing 747?
January 18, 2026
Air New Zealand is the flag carrier of New Zealand, and as such, it functions as an ambassador for the country. Air New Zealand used its Boeing 747-400s to promote The Lord of the Rings and the franchise’s connection to New Zealand.
One of these Jumbos, registered ZK-NBV, became particularly famous. After flying for a Spanish carrier, the aircraft was flown to the US for scrapping, where it was dismantled despite efforts to preserve it and return it to New Zealand.
‘Christchurch:’ The Lord of the Rings Air NZ Boeing 747
Air New Zealand Boeing 747-400 registered ZK-NBW wore a special Lord of the Rings themed livery that catapulted the ageing Jumbo to fame. This aircraft (MSN 26910) was first delivered in October 1998 and named Christchurch after the largest city in New Zealand’s South Island.
Christchurch received its Lord of the Rings livery in December 2002 and flew with it until August 2004. At an age of around 14 years, the 747-400 was around mid-life when it got its new colours.
It was painted to promote The Two Towers, the sequel to the first movie, The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring. Its livery featured Lord of the Rings characters: Frodo, Gandalf, Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli, and had large “Airline of Middle-earth” titles.
After that, the Jumbo would continue to serve Air New Zealand until it was withdrawn from use in September 2014, having flown with Air NZ for 16 years.
Air New Zealand’s fleet of 747-400 Jumbos
Air New Zealand first ordered its first 747-400s in 1980 as long-haul aircraft able to fly nonstop on routes like from Auckland to San Francisco.
At the time, Air New Zealand operated a fleet of eight 747-400s. Previously, it had operated a fleet of seven Boeing 747-200s, but these had been withdrawn from Air NZ service by 2000.
The first of Air NZ’s 747-400s exited the fleet in 2009, with the last leaving in 2014. Four of these aircraft were scrapped after their Air NZ service, with the rest going on to find post Air NZ operators.
Post Air NZ career of the Lord of the Rings Boeing 747
After being divested from Air NZ service, ZK-NBV was acquired by AerSale, which registered the aircraft, N342AS. The following year, it was delivered to its new operator, the Spanish airline Wamos Air, and was again re-registered, this time as EC-MDS.
When the aircraft left Air New Zealand, the Business Traveller reported it had accumulated 67,552 flight hours and 7,284 successful landings.
In 2022, Wamos Air exited scheduled passenger services to focus on passenger and cargo charter services. Wamos Air is now a Spanish charter airline based in Madrid that also operates aircraft for other entities.
During its time with Wamos, the Boeing 747 was leased to Saudi Arabian Airlines in 2015 and again in 2016. It was later leased to Garuda Indonesia in 2018 and again in 2019.
It would continue to fly with Wamos Air until March 2020, when it was placed into storage amid the pandemic. Its last revenue service was in December 2020, after which it was withdrawn from service and stored in Madrid before being ferried to Roswell Air Center in New Mexico in January 2021.
At this point, there was an effort to save the aircraft. The aviation heritage groups, like Bring Our Birds Home, started a campaign to raise funds to purchase and repatriate the aircraft and negotiated with AerSale.
The LOTRs Boeing 747 was ‘crushed’ in Roswell despite appeal
On the Givealittle website, the Bring Our Birds Home appeal said, “We are in a race against time to save the last remaining original Kiwi Boeing 747 passenger jet left on the planet, the former Air New Zealand Boeing 747-419, MSN 29610-1180 – ex ZK-NBV.”
It added, “Our mission is to raise 2.5 million New Zealand dollars by the end of the second week of July 2021 to purchase NBV, have the airliner flown from Roswell, New Mexico, USA and repatriate its x 4 GE engines back to the States in special vibration-proof containers.”
But this was to no avail, and by 2024, Bring Our Birds Home reported on its website that the aircraft had been “crushed at Roswell.”
The Facebook post explained that “Roswell was always a problem” as the terms of the graveyard are for all airframes to be completely removed no more than three months after parting out.
Bring Our Birds Home said it had “tried everything” and “exhausted all opportunities.”
The post ended saying that one more ex-Air NZ 747-400, ZK-NBW, was still in service as a converted freighter with South Korea’s Asiana Airlines and owned by Wells Fargo Bank. The group was making efforts to save that aircraft.
Time is yet to tell if the group has ultimately had success with that. As of the time of writing, FlightRadar24 shows the aircraft (now registered HL7620) is in service with AirZeta and its most recent flight was on 13th of January 2026, from Seoul to Los Angeles.
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Other Air NZ aircraft with Lord of the Rings/The Hobbit livery
The less remembered Jumbo to sport Lord of the Rings livery was ZK-SUJ, which was used during the transition from the original trilogy to The Hobbit. Its artwork was more restrained, having slogans and decals instead of Christchurch’s fuselage livery.
We’re throwing it back to this gem 💎 to celebrate the 20th Anniversary of The Lord of the Rings Trilogy ✈️ What’s your favourite Air New Zealand livery? pic.twitter.com/caP1nR4q9R
— Air New Zealand (@FlyAirNZ) December 9, 2021
ZK-SUJ was painted with the special colours between November 2003 and November 2004. It was later converted into a cargo airline.
The aircraft continues to fly as a freighter for Air Atlantic Icelandic, with its most recent flight being from Clermont-Ferrand in France to Dakar in Senegal on the 13th of January 2026.
Air New Zealand aircraft, which bore LOFR/The Hobbit livery:
- Boeing 747-400 (ZK-NBV) “Frodo” – The Fellowship
- Boeing 747-400 (ZK-SUJ) Featured Aragorn and Arwen – The Return of the King
- Boeing 767-300 (ZK-NCW) Leagolas and other characters
- Airbus A320 (ZK-OJA) – commemorated the premiere in Wellington
- Boeing 777-300ER (ZK-OKR) Bilbo Baggins and the Dwarves – The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
- Boeing 777-300ER (ZK-OKO) Smaug – The Desolation of Smaug
By the time The Hobbit was released, the 747s had been divested, and Air NZ had moved onto operating more fuel-efficient Boeing 777s and 787s.
Later Boeing 777 liveries and The Hobbit
The first four airplanes listed above were for the original Lord of the Rings trilogy (2002 to 2004) and are the OGs of the movies. When Peter Jackson returned to Middle-earth with The Hobbit (2012 to 2014), Air New Zealand returned with two more elaborate liveries.
The aircraft chosen to promote The Hobbit was the Boeing 777-300ER (ZK-OKP), which was unveiled in late 2012 to promote The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. It featured full-length Hobbit-themed decals across its fuselage.
The Boeing 777-300ER (ZK-OKO), nicknamed “Smaug,” was painted in 2013 for The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug and featured a giant image of the dragon, Smaug. Smaug appeared on both sides of the aircraft.
These aircraft are now 14.2 to 14.8 years old and remain in Air New Zealand service.
Importance of Lord of the Rings to New Zealand
The Lord of the Rings (LOTR) trilogy was a sensational hit around the world. While they never once mentioned New Zealand, they showcased the South Pacific Island nation’s landscapes so well that LOTR and Middle-earth became associated with New Zealand.
The Lord of the Rings was a big deal for the small country and provided a massive boost to its tourist industry.
Ironically, the movies became widely seen as Kiwi movies even though they are actually American movies made by New Line Cinema. At the time, New Line took the then-unprecedented step and financial risk of running all three films of the trilogy at once. The combined $270–281 million budget was huge for the time.
Overall, Air New Zealand’s collaboration with the Middle-earth franchise was one of the most comprehensive brand takeovers in aviation history. This went beyond the aircraft liveries.
Air New Zealand and Middle-earth beyond the liveries
Air NZ went a few extra miles with three major Middle-earth themed safety videos that became global viral hits. The first “An Unexpected Briefing” was released in 2012. Another “Just Another Day in Middle-earth” came in 2013, and finally, “The Most Epic Safety Video Ever Made was released in 2014.
The first featured a cameo by director Sir Peter Jackson, himself, who “found” the One Ring under his seat. The other videos came with the movie casts, with the final video even being partly filmed at the Hobbiton movie set (now a major tourist destination).
In the cabins, there were exterior decals complete with Middle-earth themed safety cards, headrest covers, and in-flight meals.
Auckland Airport is the main gateway to New Zealand by far, although the movie studios are found in the capital, Wellington. At Wellington Airport, for years, passengers would be greeted by giant sculptures hanging from the ceiling.
Lord of the rings themed airport😍
— Gollumgram (@Gollumgram) November 16, 2025
Take a look at this amazing airport in Wellington, New Zealand 🇳🇿
A Thread🧵 pic.twitter.com/eBLCIN6lK4
There was the Giant Gollum (Smeagol) reaching for “juicy sweet fish” as well as The Eagles and Gandalf. Gollum was taken down in 2016, and the Eagles disappeared in mid-2025. There is still Smaug with blinking eyes and smoke near the check-in counters.
Featured Image: Air New Zealand
