ANA unveils Star Wars Boeing 787 R2-D2 ANA JET.

On September 12th, All Nippon Airways [NH/ANA] rolled out Boeing 787-9 JA873A R2-D2 ANA JET (ANA reveals Star Wars Project.), the first of three special-themed aircraft featuring Star Wars, at Paine Field [PAE/KPAE]. This marks the first time a character from the popular epic space opera appears on the exterior of a commercial aircraft. It took 10 days to paint R2-D2 on ANA's newest Dreamliner, which will be configured with 215 seats (48 business, 21 premium economy, and 146 economy).

Boeing 787-9 JA873A R2-D2 ANA JET was rolled out from Boeing's factory in Everett on September 12th at 0900 PST. (Photo: ANA)

After cabin work is finished, R2-D2 ANA JET will be delivered at the end of September and is expected to arrive in Japan in early October. Service entry is scheduled for October 18th as flight NH116 from Tokyo/Haneda [HND/RJTT] to Vancouver [YVR/CYVR]. It will also be deployed to Beijing/Capital [PEK/ZBAA], Jakarta/Soekarno-Hatta [CGK/WIII], Munich [MUC/EDDM], Paris/Charles de Gaulle [CDG/LFPG], San Jose [SJC/KSJC], and Sydney/Kingsford Smith [SYD/YSSY] (ANA announces Haneda – Sydney.) later on.

JA873A will be adorned with the iconic robot until March 2020. (Photo: ANA)

One day prior to inaugurating service, R2-D2 ANA JET will be assigned to a scenic flight from Haneda. 39 winners from a photo contest on ANA's website that will end on September 18th will be invited, and all members of ANA Mileage Club (AMC) are also eligible to apply for a scarce 25 groups of two made available. The five-year Star Wars Project agreement with The Walt Disney Company (Japan) will take advantage of the release of The Force Awakens, the series' latest episode and the first of the next trilogy, to bolster ANA's brand-awareness in the international arena.

Due to overwhelming popularity, last month ANA decided to paint two more aircraft in the Star Wars theme (ANA announces Boeing 777 and 767 Star Wars Jets.). 777-381/ER JA789A will be adorned with BB-8 and be named BB-8 ANA JET to ply intercontinental routes alongside R2-D2 ANA JET, while 767-381/ER JA604A will be painted as STAR WARS ANA JET and fly domestic routes. The former will enter service in March 2016 and the latter in November this year. The three special livery aircraft will fly until March 2020, when the five-year contract expires.

Source: All Nippon Airways Japan @ Facebook.
Source: Aviation Wire, 2015 September 13th. (in Japanese)

JAL takes delivery of first Boeing 787-9.

On June 11th, Japan Airlines' [JL/JAL] first Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner arrived at Tokyo/Narita [NRT/RJAA] on delivery. Registered JA861J, the aircraft seats 195 in a three-class layout of JAL's award-winning Sky Suite product; 44 Sky Suite (business), 35 Sky Premium (premium economy), and 116 Sky Wider II (economy) seats. It is expected to enter service on the Narita – Jakarta/Soukarno-Hatta [CGK/WIII] route on July 1st.

Boeing 787-9 JA861J arrives at Narita. The two General Electric GEnx-1B74/75 engines create 6% more thrust than the smaller Dash 8s. (Photo: Aviation Wire)

Marked as flight JL8101, the delivery flight across the Pacific departed Paine Field [PAE/KPAE] on June 10th at 1630 PDT, and touched down at Narita on June 11th at 1818 JST. Although JAL's 787-9s share the same seats as the Sky Suite 787-8 (JAL's Sky Suite 787 makes debut.), which carries 161 (38 Sky Suite, 35 Sky Premium, and 88 Sky Wider II), the Dash 9 is 6.1 meters longer and carries 34 more passengers.

Lie-flat staggered business class seats on the Boeing 787-9. (Photo: Aviation Wire)

As with the Sky Suite 787-8, the newly-delivered stretched Dreamliners are equipped with MAGIC-VI in-flight entertainment (IFE) with touch-controlled monitors, in-flight wireless internet connection dubbed JAL Sky Wi-Fi, and toilets in all classes boasting washlets. Cabin LED lighting patterns will be set according to the season, for example with red and green to be featured for December.

Premium economy is in a seven-abreast layout. (Photo: Aviation Wire)

Business class is in a six-abreast (2-2-2) staggered layout with direct aisle access from every seat. Manufactured by B/E Aerospace, the lie-flat seats measure 188 centimeters in length when extended, while its width is 65 centimeters. Premium economy seats are 49 centimeters wide (19.4 inches) with a seat pitch of 107-centimeters (42 inches) and are configured in at seven abreast (2-3-2). Seats are made by Zodiac Aerospace France. Economy class is in a generous eight-abreast (2-4-2) layout, offering five more centimeters in width than nine abreast (3-3-3), which has been the worldwide trend. Zodiac Aerospace USA is responsible for the manufacturing.

JAL continues to opt for eight abreast in economy, continuing to buck the nine-abreast trend. (Photo: Aviation Wire)

JAL has ordered 25 787-8s and 20 787-9s, of which 21 and one have been delivered, respectively. Unlike at rival All Nippon Airways [NH/ANA] where some 787s are also placed on short domestic missions in domestic layouts, all of JAL's 787s fly international routes (except for occasional domestic subsitutions), either for expansion or for replacing older 767-300ERs, which in turn are used to replace the oldest domestic 777s and 767s. JAL has confirmed it has no intention to introduce domestic-configured 787s.

Source: Aviation Wire, June 11th. (in Japanese)
Source: Aviation Wire, June 13th. (in Japanese)
Source: Aviation Wire, June 20th. (in Japanese)

*Edited/updated on June 20th, 2015.

ANA takes delivery of first Boeing 787-9.

All Nippon Airways (NH/ANA) took delivery of their first Boeing 787-9, the first stretched variant of the Dreamliner, on July 27th (PDT). It arrived at their Tokyo/Haneda (HND/RJTT) base on July 29th (JST). JA830A departed Paine Field (PAE/KPAE) at 2103 PDT on July 28th as flight NH9399 and touched down on 'Runway D' of Tokyo's downtown airport at 2237 JST on July 29th.

Boeing 787-9 JA830A touches Japanese soil for the first time. (Photo: Aviation Wire)

Powered by two Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 series engines, ANA's first 787-9 is configured in a 395-seat domestic layout with 18 Premium Class (six abreast; 2-2-2) and 377 economy class (nine abreast; 3-3-3) seats, carrying 60 more passengers (six Premium Class and 54 economy) than their domestic 787-8s. By March 2015, Japan's largest carrier is planned to take delivery of two more machines; one more domestic coming next plus their first international-configured aircraft towards the end of the fiscal year.

ANA will become the first airline in the world to carry passengers on the 787-9 on August 4th, when it will operate a Mt. Fuji sightseeing charter flight from Haneda carrying Japanese and American primary (elementary) school students in Japan as part of the TOMODACHI Initiative (ANA to receive first Boeing 787-9 on July 27th.). Scheduled revenue flights are expected to commence later in August.

ANA is the biggest 787 customer to date, with orders counting 36 787-8s, of which 28 have been delivered, and 44 787-9s. The stretched Dreamliners will enable ANA to start replacing their 777-200/200ERs, which seat either 223 (70 business, 36 premium economy, and 117 economy) or 306 (35 business and 271 economy) for international, and 405 (21 Premium Class and 384 economy) for domestic.

Reference: Aviation Wire, July 29th. (in Japanese)

ANA to receive first Boeing 787-9 on July 27th.

All Nippon Airways (NH/ANA) will take delivery of its first Boeing 787-9, the stretched version of the Dreamliner, on July 27th (PDT). JA830A will leave Paine Field (PAE/KPAE) on July 28th (PDT) and arrive at Tokyo/Haneda (HND/RJTT) on July 29th (JST).

Boeing 787-9 N1792B/JA830A at Paine Field. (Photo: Steve Bailey/AirlinersGallery.com)

Powered by two Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 series engines, ANA's first 787-9 will be configured in a 395-seat domestic layout with 18 Premium Class (six abreast; 2-2-2) and 377 economy class (nine abreast; 3-3-3) seats, carrying 60 more passengers (six Premium Class and 54 economy) compared to their domestic 787-8s. Japan's largest carrier believes the stretched Dreamliner will have 23% better fuel efficiency and carry 20% more belly cargo compared to the 767-300ER. Deliveries of 787-9s configured for international services will start in early 2015.

Boeing 787-9 JA830A will receive TOMODACHI decals. (Image: ANA)

ANA will become the first airline in the world to carry passengers on the 787-9 on August 4th, when it will operate a Mt. Fuji sightseeing charter flight from Haneda carrying Japanese and American primary (elementary) school students in Japan. It will be carried out as part of the TOMODACHI Initiative, a public-private partnership between the U.S.-Japan Council and the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo born out of support for Japan’s recovery from the Great East Japan Earthquake. It invests in the next generation of Japanese and American leaders through educational and cultural exchanges as well as leadership programs. The young passengers will be chosen by ANA, Boeing, and the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo, and tickets will not be available to the public.

The second member of the 787 family will enter scheduled revenue service with ANA in August. Type certification was awarded by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) on June 16th, followed by the Japan Civil Aviation Bureau (JCAB) on July 18th. Launch customer Air New Zealand (NZ/ANZ) took delivery of their first on July 9th. ANA is the biggest 787 customer to date, with orders counting 36 787-8s (28 delivered) and 44 787-9s. The stretched Dreamliners will enable ANA to start replacing their 777-200/200ERs.

Reference: All Nippon Airways, July 24th. (in Japanese)
Reference: All Nippon Airways, July 24th. (in Japanese)

ANA takes 150th Boeing 787 delivery.

On June 5th, All Nippon Airways (NH/ANA) took Boeing's 150th delivery of the Dreamliner. The 787-8, registered JA829A, is the 179th example to roll off the production line and is the Japanese carrier's 28th. The aircraft departed Paine Field (PAE/KPAE) at 1846 PDT on June 5th and landed at Tokyo/Haneda (HND/RJTT) at 2006 JST on June 6th.

Boeing 787-8 JA829A takes off from Paine Field on a pre-delivery test flight. (Photo: Boeing)

JA829A is also ANA's eighth Dreamliner configured for regional international routes, and becomes the first in that group to have nine-abreast (3-3-3) seating in economy class, adding 18 seats. The number of seats in business stays at 42, making the total 240.

Breakdown of ANA's Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner fleet:
Long-haul international (9 aircraft):
158 seats (C46+Y112): JA805A, JA806A
169 seats (C46+P21+Y102): JA813A, JA814A, JA820A, JA822A, JA823A, JA827A, JA828A

Regional international (8 aircraft):
222 seats (C42+Y180): JA801A, JA802A, JA803A, JA804A, JA807A, JA808A, JA815A
240 seats (C42+Y198): JA829A 

Domestic (11 aircraft):
335 seats (P12+Y323): JA809A, JA810A, JA811A, JA812A, JA816A, JA817A, JA818A, JA819A, JA821A, JA824A, JA825A

To the nightmare of coach flyers, ANA had been reconfiguring its long-haul-configured 787s from eight-abreast (2-4-2) to nine-abreast (3-3-3) seating in economy to compensate for introducing 21 premium economy seats (25th & 26th Boeing 787s for ANA; first B787-9 due in summer.), so converting Dreamliners configured for regional Asian routes to nine-abreast has been expected. All 222-seat 787s will probably be reconfigured to 240 seats in due course. Meanwhile, their 335-seat domestic 787s have had nine-abreast seating in economy since delivery.

The next three 787-8 deliveries are to be configured for regional international routes, so this should accelerate the transfer of additional 767-300ERs currently serving international to domestic, thereby replacing older 767-300s (yes, non-ERs) plying domestic skies. Meanwhile, their first stretched Dreamliner, the 787-9, registered JA830A, is currently undergoing test flights in Seattle, while the second, JA833A, is under production. The first is planned for delivery later this summer, with three to be delivered by the end of this year.

ANA is the largest 787 customer having ordered 80, including the top-up commitment for a further 14 787-9s announced in March (ANA selects Boeing 777-9X and Airbus A321neo.). The orderbook consists of 36 787-8s and 44 787-9s.

Source: Boeing Airplanes @ Twitter (in English)

JAL receives 14th Boeing 787 Dreamliner.

Japan Airlines (JL/JAL) has taken delivery of its 14th Dreamliner: Boeing 787-8 JA831J. The aircraft departed Paine Field (PAE/KPAE) at 1643 PDT on March 18th as flight JL8101, and arrived at Tokyo/Haneda (HND/RJTT) at 1829 JST on March 19th.

Sister Boeing 787-8 JA822J takes off from Narita. (Aviation Wire)

JAL configures its General Electric GEnx-1B-powered B787-8s with 42 business class and 144 economy class seats. Although newer international-configured B767-300ERs are receiving new Sky Suite interiors (JAL adding more Sky Suite destinations.) and blended winglets, Dreamliners will gradually supercede older machines, which in turn will replace the oldest domestic B767-300s after conversion to domestic configuration.

25th & 26th Boeing 787s for ANA; first B787-9 due in summer.

All Nippon Airways (NH/ANA) had two Boeing 787s delivered in two days. These are the first in the fleet to wear ANA's standard livery, without the billboard '787' titles.

Their 25th Dreamliner, B787-8 JA827A, which is their eighth long-haul-configured example, arrived at Tokyo/Haneda (HND/RJTT) as flight NH9399 on February 7th. The following day, their 26th, B787-8 JA825A, which is their 11th domestic-configured machine, was supposed to arrive at Tokyo/Haneda as NH9397 from Paine Field (PAE/KPAE) but diverted to Nagoya/Chubu Centrair (NGO/RJGG) on February 8th after Tokyo's heaviest snowfall in 45 years almost closed down the capital's airport.

Boeing 787-8 JA801A taxiing at Tokyo's Haneda Airport. (Photo: Ryosuke Yano)

For long-haul B787s, ANA has two configurations with seating for 158 (46 Business, 112 Economy) and 169 (46 Business, 21 Premium Economy, 102 Economy), though the former is being converted to the latter. Their medium-haul Dreamliners seat 222 (42 Business, 180 Economy), while domestic B787s seat 335 (12 Premium Class, 323 Economy). By the way, wondering why registration 'JA826A' is skipped? It is already being used by a Bell 412 helicopter belonging to the Aomori Prefectural Police.

Meanwhile, ANA announced that their first B787-9 is due in summer this year. Three will be delivered this year; two for domestic and one for international. The configuration of these aircraft will be released in the coming months. ANA has a total of 36 B787-8s and 30 stretched B787-9s on order.

Source: All Nippon Airways, January 22nd. (in Japanese)