On 6 March 1971, Aer Lingus took delivery of the first of two Boeing 747s for use on the transatlantic routes. The company later purchased a third for its fleet but quickly offered it for lease because it was not initially profitable for the company to fly 747s across the Atlantic. In 1974, Aer Lingus unveiled a new livery which eliminated the word "International" and/or "Irish" from the fuselage titles. The livery included two colours of blue and one green, plus the white shamrock on the fin.