ANA Shares Summer Schedule For Its Star Wars-Themed Boeing Aircraft

Star Wars fans will be thrilled to hear that All Nippon Airways’ two Star Wars-themed jets will remain in action this summer. The Japanese carrier has released its summer schedule for its R2-D2 and C-3PO aircraft.

Force remains strong this summer

ANA’s beloved R2-D2 jet will be deployed on select international routes, while C-3PO will fly primarily on domestic routes to and from Tokyo Haneda Airport (HND). The two planes have worn their unique liveries for many years now – R2-D2 since 2015 and C-3PO since 2017 – as part of a deal with LucasFilm. While many fans will be eager to book a trip on one of the special jets in advance, the airline doesn’t reveal their exact itineraries until the day of the flight, making it rather difficult to land a spot on one.

The Japanese airline had three Star Wars-themed jets at one point, with the other taking after fan-favorite droid BB-8 from the most recent trilogy of films. However, the airline removed the special livery from its Boeing 777-300ER (registration: JA789A) following its final flight on March 31st, 2022, leaving it with the iconic droid duo R2-D2 and C-3PO from the original trilogy of films made in the 1970s and 80s.

JA873A (R2-D2)

JA873A is a seven-year-old Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner delivered to the airline in its iconic R2-D2 livery in September 2015. The aircraft will be active on several of ANA’s international routes out of both Tokyo Narita (NRT) and Tokyo Haneda (HND), including the following:

• Narita – Los Angeles (Flight NH6/NH5）
• Narita – Brussels (Flight NH231/NH232）
• Narita – Hanoi (Flight NH897/NH898）
• Narita – Dalian (Flight NH903/NH904)
• Haneda – Washington, DC (Flight NH102/NH101）
• Haneda – Los Angeles (Flight NH106/NH105）
• Haneda – Houston (Flight NH114/NH113）
• Haneda – Frankfurt (Flight NH203/NH223/NH204/NH224）
• Haneda – Munich (Flight NH217/NH218）
• Haneda – Paris (Flight NH215/NH216）

Photo: Abdul N Quraishi – Abs/Shutterstock

R2-D2 can accommodate up to 215 passengers – 48 in business, 21 in premium economy and 146 in economy – and has primarily flown to destinations in the US this year, including Washington, Los Angeles, Houston, Seattle and San Francisco, although it has been spotted in Frankfurt and Paris too.

JA743A (C-3PO)

This plane – a 10-year-old Boeing 777-200ER – received its special livery in March 2017, around 18 months after R2-D2 and BB-8. The jet can seat 392 passengers – 28 in business and 364 in economy – and will continue to be active on domestic flights to and from Haneda.

Data from FlightRadar24.com shows that C-3PO has flown to Osaka, Okinawa, and Sapporo over the last five days and has also served Fukuoka and Ishigaki this month. The aircraft took a three-week-long break from duties at the end of February, presumably to receive a maintenance check before its busy summer.

Have you ever flown on one of All Nippon Airways’ Star Wars aircraft? How about a Star Wars-themed aircraft at another airline? Let us know your stories in the comments.

Source: FlightRadar24.com