ANA has added Star Wars livery to one of its aircraft.
The Japanese carrier unveiled a B787-9 Dreamliner painted to look like the sci-fi franchise's iconic robot character R2-D2 at Star Wars Celebration in Anaheim, California, yesterday. "Star Wars" is also written on each side of the fuselage.
The design will appear on international flights in the autumn, ANA said. The flights to be operated by aircraft with Star Wars livery have not yet been determined.
The move makes the beginning of a five-year "ANA Star Wars Project" agreement between the airline and Walt Disney, which owns Lucasfilm, the company founded by Star Wars creator George Lucas.
Star Wars: The Force Awakens, the series' seventh instalment, will be released in December. Two more sequels are to be released over the next few years.
Kayleen Walters, vice president of marketing at Lucasfilm, said: "We're excited to be involved in this collaboration with ANA, one of the world's leading five-star airlines.
"We're proud of the innovative R2-D2 design, and we look forward to witnessing the first-ever flight of a passenger aircraft featuring a Star Wars character."
Takashi Shiki, ANA executive vice president, sales and marketing, added: "Although it's a lofty goal, we hope that like Star Wars, ANA will become well-known and loved across all borders and generations.
"The R2-D2 motif works well with ANA's blue logo design on the aircraft's fuselage, and many people associate R2-D2 with competent and reliable service — also hallmarks of ANA's five-star service.
"We are particularly delighted to introduce this collaboration now as we prepare to launch our new international service from Tokyo to Houston in June, making it our 10th North American destination.
ANA will launch a new daily service between Tokyo Narita and Houston in June (see news, December 12).
Graham Smith
