Air New Zealand unveils Peter Jackson’s dragon ‘Smaug’ from the next instalment of The Hobbit

Peter Jackson’s theatrical interpretation of the mythical dragon Smaug has been revealed by Air New Zealand ten days ahead of the release of The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug.

A Boeing 777-3oo aircraft with the 54 metre long dragon emblazoned on both sides was unveiled in Auckland ahead of the film’s official release as part of a global marketing campaign for the movie.

Air New Zealand chief executive officer Christopher Luxon said in a statement: “For our partners to allow Air New Zealand to reveal their star to the world is a huge privilege. We worked with Weta Digital which designed the graphic especially for us for this purpose.”

Director of The Hobbit Trilogy Peter Jackson, said in a statement:  “To see Smaug fly off the big screen and into the skies like this is pretty exciting.  We’re proud to debut him here in New Zealand, where our team has worked so hard to bring him to life.”