File this under “is this real life?” because something that shouldn’t be real, just became a reality. Japanese carrier All Nippon Airlines (ANA) have announced that they’re turning several of their aircraft into Star Wars themed battle cruisers passenger jets, in advance of the release of Star Wars: The Force Awakens this December. The brand partnership is part of a five year “Star Wars Project”, which already has its own official website.
ANA, who were the first carrier in the world to offer services on the 787 Dreamliners, also operate the most amount of the much talked about aircraft. And one of their new Boeing 787-9 aircraft is the first to see the new paintjob, with an R2-D2 Dreamliner going into international service before the end of the year. There’s no word yet if that will include Australia, but with ANA launching a new service between Tokyo (Haneda) and Sydney on December 12th, it’s certainly possible we’ll be seeing this Star Wars jet on our shores at some time…
Though the initial announcement was made back in June, this week ANA revealed two more aircraft who will receive the Star Wars treatment, both Boeing 767-300s. One will receive a R2-D2 job of its own, while the other will introduce us to BB-8, a Droid from the upcoming film. These two planes will fly domestically in Japan from November. The rest of the world will have to wait until March for a BB-8 themed 777-300ER, when it starts flying between Japan and North America.
Characters are also promised to cover headrests, napkins and cups (not unlike EVA Air do on their Hello Kitty themed aircraft), while their fleet will feature all six Star Wars films – the first time they’ve ever been available together on an in flight entertainment system.
No doubt the aircraft will also be the first to help fly you from Japan to Disneyland’s new Star Wars Land. Suffice it to say, Star Wars fans have plenty to be excited about.
For more details on the ANA Star Wars Project, head to: http://www.ana-sw.com/
Article Source: CNN
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