Thanks to commenter Rich, my question yesterday has been answered. The airliner with the squished Santa on its nosecone turns out to have been a Boeing 737-800 of Ryanair.
(Click the image for a larger view)
Still no word on when or where the aircraft was painted, but full marks to Ryanair for their sense of humor! It seems they’ve painted a number of their aircraft in odd ways from time to time. You’ll find a number of photographs of them here (scroll down to find the pictures).
Thanks, Rich. Appreciate your help.
Peter
Extra credit for painting a radome to boot.
Jim
I "think" it was done in 2007… I seem to remember seeing it at Heathrow.
That theme appeared on 'The Far Side' cartoon by Larson, some years ago.