Guarded by representatives from both the Empire and Rebellion, ANA and Boeing have unveiled the first of three Boeing aircraft that will showcase their Start Wars themed livery. The Boeing 787 Dreamliner was rolled of a Boeing hangar at the assembly line facility in Everett with an audience of thousands watching online or in person.
The R2-D2 ANA Dreamliner is scheduled to go into service on international routes on October 18, initially as flight NH116 between Tokyo and Vancouver, and then fly between Japan and other cities including the US (Seattle and San Jose), Europe (Munich, Paris and Brussels), Australia (Sydney), China (Beijing), and Indonesia (Jakarta).
BB-8, a new character that'll join the Star Wars franchine in December, will be displayed on the livery of a Boeing 777-300ER "BB-8 ANA Jet" in March 2016. It will be followed by a Boeing 767-300 painted in a morph of the BB-8 and R2-D2 airframes.
The Star Wars theme will translate to the cabin with franchise inspired cutlery, headrest covers, napkins, and cups. ANA will also feature all six of the already released Star Wars movies as part of their IFE service between November and January, 2016. It's expected that as part of the 5-year arrangement with The Walt Disney Company (Japan) Ltd they'll also be the first to offer additional films when they become available.
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Scheduled the day before the regular service commences on October 17, you can be the first to experience the R2-D2 ANA JET at the Fan Appreciation Flight event at Haneda Airport. Details here.
The Force Awakens is scheduled for theatrical release in December, 2015.