All Nippon Airways Unveils New Pikachu Jet

DALLAS — Japan's largest airline, All Nippon Airways (NH), has unveiled its 11th aircraft featuring its legendary series of Pokémon Jet liveries. This time, NH has assigned a Boeing 787 to be painted in the colorful livery. The aircraft entered commercial service on June 4, 2023.

JA894A was delivered to the airline on September 20, 2017, and it is one of the 40 units connecting the city of Tokyo (HND/NRT) with the rest of Southeast Asia, including destinations such as Sydney (SYD), Manila (MNL) or Honolulu (HNL).

"As part of uniting the world in wonder, ANA is committed to creating unique and memorable experiences for our passengers, and the inaugural Pikachu Jet NH flight is a testament to that commitment to exploring endless possibilities," said Junko Yazawa, Executive Vice President, Customer Experience Management & Planning of ANA.

ANA announced prior in time that the first commercial service of the new Pikachu Jet was happening today on flight NH847 from Tokyo-Haneda (HND) to Bangkok-Suvarnabhumi (BKK).

The Pikachu Jet includes a customized interior and inflight experience themed as the Japanese series, including headrests and cabin crew uniforms designed with drawings and pictures of Pokémon. Passengers who booked a flight onboard the Pikachu Jet received boarding passes and baggage tags with a unique design.

ANA's Pokémon Jets

This is not the first time We've seen NH liveries dedicated to Pokémon. The Pokémon Jets are a series of aircraft that began to appear in July 1998, when the first scheme was unveiled on a Boeing 747-400D (JA8965) and 767-300 (JA8569), shortly after the animated series went global.

Since then, a total of 11 aircraft have been painted in the Pokémon scheme, helping NH build its identity as the main carrier of Japan, famous not only due to its Eastern-Asian culture and gastronomy but also to its animated film industry and anime.

Other airlines such as Skymark (BC), Air Do (HD), China Airlines (CI), and Scoot (TR) have joined the trend but on a much lower scale. NH still is the dominant airline featuring this type of special liveries worldwide.

Have you ever had the chance of flying on board a Pokémon Jet? What was your experience? Feel free to share your experience on our social media channels.

Featured image: Pokémon/Nintendo

https://airwaysmag.com/ana-to-take-over-nippon-cargo-airlines/