An airline is more than aluminum, paint, and technology. It brings people together, crosses continents, experiences thousands of takeoffs and landings—and sometimes even makes history. That is the very history we want to preserve.
Since 2016, at Aviationtag, we have been transforming original material from retired airlines into unique collectibles. Every Aviationtag genuinely comes from the airline whose registration it bears. No aluminum printed after the fact, no reproduction. Just a real piece of aviation.
Today, ten years later, we have processed material from more than 150 airline. And it has truly never become boring.
Aviation is incredibly diverse—and that is exactly what our collection should be, too.
We have made Aviationtags from a small Cessna 150 and from the enormous Airbus A380. From the legendary Boeing 747, the McDonnell Douglas A-4 Skyhawk Fighter, and even a Bo 105 helicopter.
Some aircraft transported millions of passengers. Others had entirely different roles.
Our editions have included, for example, a Douglas DC-3 that was part of the history of the Berlin Airlift as a candy bomber. And then there is Ed Force One: the Boeing 747 that Iron Maiden used on its world tour.
Stories like these are exactly what fascinate us. Because when an aircraft is retired, its history does not automatically have to disappear with it.
Before an Aviationtag ends up in a collector’s hands, the material has already taken quite a long journey.
We source original airline parts at airports, airline graveyards, and together with our partners. We carefully document which airline the material came from. It then makes its way to us in Cologne.
This is where a process begins that still requires a surprising amount of manual work.
The material is selected, cut to size, punched, and further processed. Each tag then receives an engraving with the airline type, registration, and individual serial number.
And then there is something no machine can create: the traces of its former life.
Small scratches, irregularities, different layers of paint, or variations in color often date back to the time when the material was still part of the airline. That is why two Aviationtags from the same edition may look different.
To us, that is not a flaw. Quite the opposite. It is precisely what shows that you are holding an original.
When Aviationtag launched in 2016, we were already able to draw on the experience of our sister company bordbar, which has been reconditioning decommissioned airline trolleys since 2006.
Since then, we have learned a great deal about airline materials ourselves.
Because airline skin is not simply airline skin. Alloys, material thicknesses, paint finishes, and construction methods can differ considerably. An Airbus A380 presents us with challenges that are different from those of a Cessna. A military airline presents yet another set of challenges.
That is also why a new edition cannot simply be created at the push of a button.
We experiment, develop solutions, and sometimes only decide once we have the original material in front of us how to turn it into the best Aviationtags possible.
After more than ten years, we do many things more routinely. Our curiosity about the next airline, however, remains.
A large part of our work would not be possible without the people and companies in the aviation industry.
Over the years, this has led to collaborations with numerous airlines and partners – including Lufthansa, Etihad Airways, Air Canada, DHL Express, Cathay Pacific, and Singapore Airlines.
Such collaborations give us access to special aircraft and materials that would normally never end up in the hands of collectors.
Above all, however, they are built on trust. Trust that we will treat the aircraft, its history, and the associated brands with respect.
We take that very seriously.
Of course, you can attach an Aviationtag to your keys. Or to a backpack, a bag, or a suitcase.
Many of our customers, however, do something entirely different: They collect airline.
Perhaps the model they flew on for the first time. The aircraft of an airline they worked for. An airline type they found fascinating as a child. Or simply a piece of an extraordinary airline.
That is precisely what makes Aviationtag so appealing to us.
We turn retired airline material into something new without erasing its past. The registration remains. The livery remains. The signs of use remain. And above all, the story behind it remains.
That is why an Aviationtag is not simply a piece of aluminum. It is a genuine piece of an airline. And sometimes, a truly remarkable piece of history.
