Wana taste flying on top of the dragon Smaug character in the second part of the Hobbit trilogy, 'The Desolation of Smaug'? Then fly Air New Zealand.

Air New Zealand, ahead of the premiere of the second part of the Hobbit trilogy, unveiled on Monday a 54-metre long image of the dragon on the sides of a Boeing 777-300.

Video Source: YouTube/Air New Zealand

The plane will arrive in time for Tuesday's premiere, from a flight to Los Angeles on Monday evening.

"To see Smaug fly off the big screen and into the skies like this is pretty exciting," movie director Sir Peter Jackson said.

The dragon Smaug character is emblasoned on both sides of the Boeing 777-300 aircraft.

"We're proud to debut him here in New Zealand, where our team has worked so hard to bring him to life," Mr Jackson said.

Capturing the mammoth dragon Smaug character on the plane, however, was no mean feat compared to just breathing life into him in the film.

"Capturing Smaug's presence and the amazing detail in his design while accommodating the windows, doors and wing shape was quite a different experience for us," visual effects supervisor Eric Saindon of Weta Digital said.

The image placed on the aircraft was a decal or giant sticker.

Still, "it was great to see Smaug brought to life, and he appears even larger in the film!"

Filmed in New Zealand, the Hobbit trilogy is based on the book of the same name by J.R.R. Tolkien. 'The Desolation of Smaug' opens in theaters in mid-December.

Air New Zealand said it will keep the decal on the plane for a year, until the third Hobbit movie comes along.