Boeing Unveils ‘Star Wars’-Themed R2-D2 Dreamliner Plane

ANA’s partnership with Disney is part of efforts to build buzz for the release of “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” later this year.

As reported by Devan Coggan of Entertainment Weekly, Boeing held an official ceremony Saturday in Everett, Washington, featuring “Star Wars” theme music and Storm Troopers as the company officially unveiled the R2-D2-themed Boeing 787 Dreamliner to the public.

One of the other two designs will feature BB-8, a new character to be introduced in the upcoming film, Star Wars: The Force Awakens. And great news for Aussie fans – the plane will later fly between Japan and Sydney, as well as cities in the U.S., Europe, China and Indonesia. With this new Star Wars luxury dreamliner taking the sky, there will have an even broader reach than ever before for ANA airlines. The nose of the R2-D2 ANA Jet has the iconic blue, white and gray design of the droid in the movies, complete with its red sensor. “At ANA we’re always looking for ways to improve the flying experience for our passengers, and what better way to start your trip to Asia than on a one-of-a-kind Star Wars plane?”

The inaugural flight of the R2-D2 ANA Jet will be a Fan Appreciation Flight scheduled for October 17, which will take off from and return to Handea Airport in Tokyo.

Last week, the introduction of the BB-8 “Star Wars” toy, a spherical droid that can be controlled by voice command, began flying off the shelves of retailers.

Images from “Star Wars” are found on headrests, paper napkins and cups on the plane.

(ANA/Boeing)ANA staff with Star Wars characters and the 787-9 R2-D2 themed Dreamliner in the background.