Cathay Pacific Boeing 747-8F B-LJE in 80th Anniversary Retro Livery at AMS
After arriving in Amsterdam from Curaçao on Friday morning, I found myself with several hours to spare before hotel check-in. Rather than wait around the city, I made my way to the panoramic terrace at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol to see what the late-morning traffic might offer.
It did not take long for something noteworthy to appear. Landing on Schiphol’s runway 18R, the famous Polderbaan, was Cathay Pacific’s 80th anniversary retro-liveried Boeing 747-8F, registered B-LJE. The special scheme, applied to commemorate the airline’s eight decades of operations, recreates an earlier era of Cathay Pacific branding and stands out sharply against the modern fleet.
Unfortunately, the aircraft taxied along a routing that kept it completely out of sight from the terrace. It was one of those familiar spotter moments: seeing something special arrive, but having no opportunity to photograph it.
Flightradar24 did show a scheduled departure time for B-LJE to Frankfurt, Germany (FRA/EDDF). With cargo operations, however, published departure times are rarely reliable. I could stay at the terrace and wait, but I was also getting hungry! I decided to head for Schiphol plaza and find some food. Of course, no sooner did I arrive there, a Flightradar24 alert appeared on my phone telling me that the aircraft was departing.
I reached the viewing area with only seconds to spare before the Cathay Queen came into view. This time there was no obstruction, and the classic-inspired scheme was fully visible as the aircraft taxied out and departed.
(Click an image to enlarge)
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