Pokémon Jet

Pokémon Jet (ポケモンジェット, Pokemon jetto) refers to a number of aircraft that were operated by Japanese airline All Nippon Airways in a promotional Pokémon livery. The exteriors of the aircraft were painted with pictures of various Pokémon and the interiors were decorated with a Pokémon theme.

Two Pokémon Jets of All Nippon Airways, March 2006

History

After the appearance of Pokémon in 1996, and the resultant Pokémon-related craze, All Nippon Airways unveiled the first Pokémon Jets on 1 July 1998, timed with the release of Pokémon: The First Movie.[1][2] The first two to be unveiled were a Boeing 747-400D (JA8965) and a Boeing 767-300 (JA8569), and each displayed a number of the then 151 Pokémon characters, including Pikachu. Due to the popularity of the aircraft, a second 767 was unveiled a matter of weeks later.[1] The three aircraft were introduced on numerous domestic flights in Japan.[3][4][5] A fourth aircraft, a Boeing 747-400, was painted in a Pokémon livery in February 1999, and was called the US version by the airline, as it was put into service on the airline's North American network. The aircraft was identical to the previous three aircraft, except the letters ANA were kept on the vertical stabiliser,[1] and operated its first flight to New York City's JFK International Airport on 24 February 1999.[6][7]

All Nippon Airways announced in March 1999 that a fifth aircraft would be painted in a Pokémon scheme, and a contest was held which saw children between the ages of six and twelve submitting entries. The announcement was timed to coincide with the release of Pokémon: The Movie 2000 in Japan in the summer of 1999. The winning design was rolled out at Osaka on 20 June 1999 on a Boeing 747-400D (JA8964), with the same design appearing shortly thereafter on two Boeing 767-300s (JA8288 and JA8357).[1]

In 2011, a Boeing 777-300 (JA754A) was painted in a Pokémon livery featuring characters from the Pokémon Black and White video games. All Nippon Airways had originally intended to allow children to vote on the livery design for this Pokémon Jet, but the voting event was cancelled as a result of the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami.[8] The aircraft has been dubbed the Peace Jet, as the selected livery design is intended to express the wish for a world filled with peace.[8] This Pokémon Jet was placed into service on the airline's domestic network on 18 July 2011, just two days after Victini and the Black Hero: Zekrom and Victini and the White Hero: Reshiram were released at movie theaters in Japan.

October 8, 2013, JA8956 and JA8957 simultaneously retired as the part of the airline's plan to retire all Boeing 747s, leaving JA754A the only Pokémon Jet in service.

On April 14, 2016, the Pokémon theming of JA754A was removed, leaving no Pokémon jets in operation.[9]

On December 19, 2020, Solaseed Air inaugurated a Boeing 737-800 (JA812X) with an Exeggutor livery,[10] making it the first Boeing plane to feature a single species of Pokémon, rather than an ensemble. Solaseed Air is headquartered at the Miyazaki Airport in the city of Miyazaki, Miyazaki Prefecture, Japan; which made Exeggutor its official "Support Pokémon" in October 2020. [11]

Passenger experience and response

Passengers on the Pokémon Jets received a complete Pokémania experience. The aircraft and flight crews were decked out in Pokémon themes, including headrests, flight attendant uniforms, food containers, inflight entertainment, and souvenir bags.[12] All Nippon Airways reported that it experienced an increase in the number of passengers carried as a result of operating the Pokémon Jets.[13][14]

List of Pokémon Jets
Photo Aircraft Registration Year
unveiled		 Year livery removed Year jet retired Port
from nose
to tail		 Starboard
from nose
to tail
Boeing 747-400DJA896519982001 June 2013Clefairy, Pikachu, Togepi, Mew, Mewtwo, Snorlax[15]Jigglypuff, Pikachu, Psyduck, Squirtle, Bulbasaur[15]
Boeing 767-300JA856919982001 December 2018Clefairy, Pikachu, Togepi, Mew, Mewtwo, Snorlax[15]Jigglypuff, Pikachu, Psyduck, Squirtle, Bulbasaur[15]
Boeing 767-300JA857819982001 August 2017Clefairy, Pikachu, Togepi, Mew, Mewtwo, Snorlax[15]Jigglypuff, Pikachu, Psyduck, Squirtle, Bulbasaur[15]
Boeing 747-400JA896219992006 2010Clefairy, Pikachu, Togepi, Mew, Mewtwo, Snorlax[15]Jigglypuff, Pikachu, Psyduck, Squirtle, Bulbasaur[15]
Boeing 747-400DJA896419992006 2011Pikachu, Marill, Dratini, Lapras, Slowpoke, Horsea[15]Togepi, Pikachu, Jigglypuff, Ledyba, Elekid, Meowth[15]
Boeing 767-300JA828819992006 September 2014Pikachu, Marill, Dratini, Lapras, Slowpoke, Horsea[15]Togepi, Pikachu, Jigglypuff, Ledyba, Elekid, Meowth[15]

(Photo taken after livery removed)

 Boeing 767-300JA835719992006 February 2016Pikachu, Marill, Dratini, Lapras, Slowpoke, Horsea[15]Togepi, Pikachu, Jigglypuff, Ledyba, Elekid, Meowth[15]
Boeing 747-400DJA8957May 2004October 2013 November 2013Celebi, Plusle, Minun, Deoxys, Torchic, Munchlax, Jirachi, Latios, Latias, PikachuMew, Pichu brothers, Treecko, Mudkip, Meowth, Lugia, Entei, Pikachu
Boeing 747-400DJA8956November 2004October 2013 November 2013Pikachu, Pichu brothers, Mew, Wynaut, Azurill, Castform, Bellossom, PikachuPikachu, Minun, Plusle, Skiploom, Oddish, Igglybuff, Trapinch, Skiploom, Munchlax, Roselia, Pikachu
Boeing 777-300JA754A2011May 2016 N/AOshawott, Pikachu, Victini, Zekrom, Darumaka, Pansage, Scraggy, PikachuTepig, Pikachu, Snivy, Reshiram, Meowth, Axew, Munna, Pikachu
Boeing 737-86NJA812XDecember 2020N/A (expected Summer 2022)N/AAlolan-form ExeggutorStandard Exeggutor

References
  1. Spicer, Stuart (2001). Dream Schemes II. Zenith Imprint. p. 21. ISBN 0-7603-1196-X. Retrieved 2009-11-13.
  2. "ANAポケモンジェット」が日本の空に就航！" (in Japanese). All Nippon Airways. 2 July 1998. Retrieved 2009-11-15.
  3. "ANAポケモンジェット運航スケジュール6月" (in Japanese). All Nippon Airways. Retrieved 2009-11-15.
  4. "ANAポケモンジェット運航スケジュール7月" (in Japanese). All Nippon Airways. Retrieved 2009-11-15.
  5. "ANAポケモンジェット運航スケジュール8月" (in Japanese). All Nippon Airways. Retrieved 2009-11-15.
  6. McDowell, Edwin (3 March 1999). "A rising number of airlines are making the case that a picture can be worth a thousand words". The New York Times. pp. C6. Retrieved 2009-11-15.
  7. "Pokemon to visit US". M2 Presswire. 23 February 1999. Retrieved 2009-11-15.
  8. "新ANAポケモンジェット2011「ピース★ジェット」就航！" (Press release) (in Japanese). All Nippon Airways. Retrieved 2011-07-20.
  9. Ashcraft, Brian (1 May 2016). "This Could Be the Last Pokémon Jet". Kotaku.
  10. https://twinfinite.net/2020/12/pokemon-airliner-aircraft-japan-exeggutor/
  11. https://local.pokemon.jp/en/municipality/miyazaki/
  12. Tobin, Joseph Jay (2004). "Cuteness as Japan's Millennial Product". Pikachu's global adventure: the rise and fall of Pokémon. Allison, Anne. Duke University Press. p. 47. ISBN 0-8223-3287-6. Retrieved 2009-11-15.
  13. Avella, Natalie (2004). Graphic Japan: from woodblock and zen to manga and kawaii. Rotovision. pp. 206–207, 211. ISBN 2-88046-771-3. Retrieved 2009-11-15.
  14. Helfland, Jessica; Maeda, John (2001). Screen: Essays on Graphic Design, New Media, and Visual Culture. Princeton Architectural Press. p. 63. ISBN 1-56898-320-4. Retrieved 2009-11-15.
  15. "Design". All Nippon Airways. Retrieved 2009-11-15.
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