Japanese carrier ANA and the Star Wars franchise, owned by Lucasfilm, will end their ANA STAR WARS JETS tie-up early next year. The partnership began in 2015 and Star Wars branded aircraft have crisscrossed the globe ever since.
ANA to Retire R2-D2 Jet in August 2025
Earlier I wrote about how ANA is removing the R2-D2 livery which adorns one of its Boeing 787 Dreamliners. The final flight pair for that aircraft will occur on August 6, 2025 with a roundtrip flight between Tokyo’s Haneda Airport (HND) and Washington-Dulles International Airport (IAD).
The R2-D2 livery appears on one of ANA’s internationally configured Dreamliners, registration JA873A, meaning avgeeks and planespotters around the world have had a chance to capture the jet before the plane is repainted into the airline’s house colors.
C-3PO Will Keep Flying Until January 2026
ANA has a second aircraft sporting a Star Wars special livery that will keep flying for a few more months. JA743A, a domestically configured Boeing 777-200, will continue operating short-haul flights from the airline’s hub at Haneda Airport for the time being.
That aircraft is expected to be removed from service in early January, months before the partnership between the two entities officially ends. Final flights for this aircraft have not been revealed. Like the BB-8 Boeing 777-300ER and Star Wars Boeing 767-300 aircraft that preceded it, this aircraft is expected to be repainted into ANA’s standard livery.
Summary
ANA and Star Wars are ending their partnership after eleven years of flying. Four ANA aircraft have sported special liveries over the years and the final one, painted to look like C-3PO, will be removed from service in January 2026.
