Check out this bold lime green livery of Air Australia, rebranded from Strategic Airlines

New low-cost airline Air Australia has launched its patriotic but fashionable
lime green and gold livery, including its boomerang tail.

AIRAustralia will add a fresh twist to the Australian airline industry, as it introduces a sharp new livery over coming months.

The stylish lime branding was revealed to staff last night and will initially adorn one of the company's Airbus A330s.

It is part of a rebranding by Strategic Airlines as it re-invents itself as a low-fare carrier with new domestic and international services. Designed by advertising heavyweight Sean Cummins, the man responsible for the original "anti-Qantas" Virgin Blue livery, it aims to portray the rebranded carrier as a breath of fresh air in the market.

But it also reflects its Australian origins, with the use of a stylised boomerang to create what Mr Cummins hopes it will became an iconic aircraft tail.

"We tried to liberate the icons that are known to everybody and give them a fresh twist," Mr Cummins said. "We wanted to really confront the colours that people know and love. We started with the green and the gold and we realised there were grades of green we could use. And we really love the grey because it kind of represented a big grey kangaroo or a koala."

Mr Cummins said aviation was ingrained in Australians' national pride, sense of self and sense of adventure.

He said he had attempted to dig into that psychology and bring out a fresh representation. But he also had to keep a tight leash on some of his wilder impulses to produce the stylish design.

"It was an exercise in restraint. Don't think we didn't do a Jackson Pollock on it and try every possible combination," he said.

The livery is designed to roll out over the airline's other A330 and A320 aircraft and also to be reflected in uniforms and other customer "touch points".

The carrier will move to its new low-cost business model from October 30 and will launch services to Honolulu from Brisbane and Melbourne in December.

It will enter the competitive Melbourne-Brisbane trunk route from December and boost frequency on the Brisbane-Bali route as well as services to Phuket from Brisbane and Melbourne.

It plans to move to seven leased A330s over the next three years, with the fleet growing to three by the first quarter of next year.

An additional A320 will come to Australia later this year to bolster the three narrow-body planes already here and a fifth could be added early next year. It has added an A320 base in Melbourne.