All Nippon Airways (ANA) announced that it will retire the BB-8 livery representing Star Wars. It is a Boeing 777-381ER registered as JA789A.
For aviation enthusiasts, Japanese airlines have been known to feature mind-blowing livery from anime series and movies. Throughout its history, ANA had several special livery to promote different causes, the latest being the three Airbus A380s with images of sea turtles given that they will fly exclusively to Hawaii.
In 2015, a project was unveiled during the premiere of the “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” installment for several aircraft to carry special livery, also marking the beginning of a five-year partnership with The Walt Disney Company (Japan).
The aircraft included a Boeing 787-9 with R2-D2 livery, registration JA873A; a Boeing 777-300ER with BB-8 livery; a Boeing 767-300ER with mixed R2-D2 and BB-8 livery; and a Boeing 777-200ER with C-3PO livery registration JA743A.
The Boeing 767-300ERs were retired, leaving the Boieng 777s and Boeing 787s. But this March 31, the Boeing 777-300ER will say goodbye to its BB-8 livery, after five years carrying it.
The last commercial flight will be between Chicago (ORD) and Tokyo/Narita (NRT) under flight number NH12 & NH11.
ANA will conduct a series of special farewell flights on the same day from Tokyo (Haneda) to Okinawa (Nawa) and Sapporo (Chitose) airports for locals. Prior to BB-8’s farewell, the other two aircraft will be positioned at Haneda International Airport (HND) for one last photo together in the Japanese morning.
On the other hand, the Boeing 777-200ER, registration JA743A, and carrying the C-3PO livery has been in storage since 2020 and the company has not confirmed its final retirement.
While JA873A, carrying the livery “R2-D2” on a six-year-old Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner remains in commercial operations and was most recently flying to Seattle (SEA), San Francisco (SFO), Los Angeles, Washington, D.C. (IAD), Houston (IAX), Houston (IAX), San Francisco (SFO), Los Angeles (SFO) and Washington, D.C. (IAD). (IAD), Houston (IAH), Ho Chi Minh City (SGN), Hanoi (HAN), Frankfurt (FRA) and Brussels (BRU).
According to the company’s website, they have not updated new dates for flights on the “R2-D2” starting in April.
We’ll still have more of “The Force Will Be With You, Always..”
In 2019, LATAM Airlines Group unveiled its aircraft inspired by the Star Wars saga just days before the official launch of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge at Disney Hollywood Studios park in Orlando, Florida.
The “Stormtrooper Plane,” a 410-seat Boeing 777-300ER, PT-MUA-registered, was designed by Disney’s creative team in conjunction with Lucasfilm.
In the same year, United Airlines announced its partnership with Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, the epic finale to the Skywalker saga.
