Playing a role in temperature harmonization, Airbus has added a dark black cockpit outline to its A350 and other aircraft, including the A330neo family and some (but not all) A321neos and A321LRs. But airlines have taken it upon themselves to add this outline to their non-Airbus or older-generation Airbus aircraft as purely aesthetic enhancements. Let's take a look at some examples...

Air Canada's entire fleet

In 2017, Air Canada began to introduce its latest livery. A little bit of a throwback to its 1990-early 2000 livery, the airline went back to white, red, and black with a few modern touches. The maple leaf roundel returned to the tail while engines and the belly of the fuselage were painted black.

Of course, one of the most distinctive elements of the carrier's current livery is the thick black outline around the cockpit of each Air Canada aircraft. Implemented fleet-wide, this dark outline appears on every plane, from the small A220 all the way up to the Boeing 777 and 787. Between these two size-extremes, older-generation Airbus jets and the newer Boeing 737 MAX have also received the eye-mask treatment.

To be fair, however, Air Canada's cockpit outline has a unique style of its own, remaining somewhat flat across the top. The bottom black edge bends upwards to meet the top line at either side.

Air Canada's latest livery applies a dark outline around the cockpit fleet-wide. Photo: Air Canada

Northern Pacific

This brand-new Alaska-based airline was hoping to give its newly-acquired but older and "pre-loved" aircraft a fresh look. While the one Boeing 757 it has firmly secured and painted is about 27 years old, the airline wanted to give it a modern appearance with a dark black outline. Indeed, from some angles, the cockpit outline could be considered "A321neo-esque."

With the airline's aspirations to modernize its fleet when the time is right, perhaps the A321-like cockpit mask is 'wishful thinking'?

Northern Pacific has chosen to give its 757s a dark cockpit outline. Photo: Northern Pacific

Hi Fly

On the other side of the Atlantic Ocean, there are a few examples as well. While no European example we've found has painted Boeing jets with a dark outline, the three carriers we've identified have added the look to older Airbus aircraft.

In July 2021, Portuguese wet lease airline Hi Fly posted a video (embedded below) to YouTube showing off its latest aircraft- an Airbus A330. While the video's title makes it clear that it's an Airbus A330-300, you might be forgiven for thinking it was an A330-900. That's because Hi Fly gave this older widebody a new livery with a dark black outline around the cockpit. The airline also has an A340 with the same livery and outline.

Eurowings Discover

Germany's Eurowings Discover has also given its older aircraft a cockpit outline. This is present on the carrier's A320-200s and A330-300s. The two examples are shown in photos below.

While it may look like a newer-generation Airbus A320, this jet is actually an older A320-200 'ceo' variant. Photo: Tom Boon | Simple Flying

Nope, it's not an A330neo. Just an A330-300 with a cockpit mask! Photo: Tom Boon | Simple Flying

The final example is an Airbus A340-300 used by Airhub Aviation. The photo, which starts off this article, was taken at Vilnius Airport and shows a black outline around the quadjet's cockpit glass. Airhub has two A340-300s and uses them as 'preighters' to transport freight.

What was the eye mask for in the first place?

In 2013, Airbus' A350 took its very first flight. Less than two years later, in early 2015, the type entered service with Qatar Airways. While this clean-sheet design from the European planemaker was exciting for many, many reasons, it was also one of- if not the first commercial aircraft type to feature a dark black outline around its cockpit. But what is this for exactly?

Well, as we've explored in a previous article, the black masking on the new windshield has something to do with temperature management. Indeed, Airbus offered the following statement on this topic:

"The emblematic "sunglasses" like black windshield eases the window's maintenance and contributes to harmonizing the thermal condition of this temperature-sensitive window area."

So, while the dark outline is indeed a functional part of newer Airbus jets, others have adopted it as a style and perhaps a way to give their older aircraft a fresh and modern appearance.

From a purely aesthetic point of view, what do you think of the dark outline around the cockpit? Does it look good to you? Let us know by leaving a comment.