All Nippon Airways and The Pokemon Company have announced a trio of new Pokemon planes that are arriving to celebrate the series’ 30th anniversary. Fans who intend to travel to Japan may be able to secure a seat on one of these Pokemon planes starting in 2026.
Pokemon‘s already rolled out some exciting announcements and reveals in advance of Pokemon Day, with the 30th anniversary beginning to kick off in earnest. A new Pokemon game is about to arrive with Pokemon Pokopia‘s launch, while some older classics, namely Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen, are also arriving on Switch consoles. Merchandise, collaborations, and more games are sure to be on the way, which includes these three new planes.
ANA Announces New Pokemon Fleet
All Nippon Airways, aka ANA, and The Pokemon Company have officially announced that the airline will be rolling out three new Pokemon jets. The three jets are based off of the Gen 1 Pokemon classics that started it all, namely Pokemon Red, Pokemon Green, and Pokemon Blue. This year marks the 30th anniversary of Pokemon, but it’s also the 40th anniversary of ANA running international flights, so the two companies are effectively celebrating together with the new jets. Each jet will hve a color motif matching the game they’re based upon, and will likely feature the original trio of starters, namely Charmander, Bulbasaur, and Squirtle, though this is yet to be confirmed.
Who’s That Character?
Identify the silhouettes before time runs out.
Identify the silhouettes before time runs out.
Easy (7.5s)Medium (5.0s)Hard (2.5s)Permadeath (2.5s)
Pokemon Jet Red will be a Boeing 787-8 intended for domestic flights, while Pokemon Jet Blue will be a Boeing 737-800 that will also be used domestically. Pokemon Jet Red will be a larger Dreamliner plane that has a typical capacity of 248 passengers, while the the Pokemon Jet Blue seats under 200 passengers. Pokemon Jet Green will be a 787-9, which will be utilized exclusively on international routes. It may strike some fans as a curious choice, as the original Pokemon Green was never released outside of Japan, so its themeing will be less familiar to international fans than the Pokemon Red and Blue jets. Given the intent to fly this one internationally, the Pokemon Jet Green can appropriately hold the most passengers of the three, typically coming in at just shy of 300 seats.
The new planes have a general theme of “Embark on an exciting journey with Pokemon” and will also mark the first time in a decade that Pokemon planes will be utilized on domestic Japanese flights, as they’ve generally been reserved for international flights. Much about the jets have yet to be revealed, including their designs. ANA has stated that the designs will be revealed alongside the launch dates in May. There will also be campaigns held to “experience the world of ANA and Pokemon in various ways,” so even those who don’t intend to travel may be able to partake in whatever the company has planned.
Fans who want to get an idea of what the planes may look like should take a look back at ANA’s history, as the airline and The Pokemon Company have had a partnership going back to 1998. As glimpsed in a trailer teasing the new jets, the companies have produced seven different Pokemon planes together, with the most recent being a pair based on Pikachu and Eevee that took to the skies in 2023. The Pokemon fun doesn’t stop there, either, as ANA and Pokemon produced a pair of videos that feature Pokemon demonstrating how to be safe on the plane and to celebrate taking off. These jets have featured a ton of different Pokemon, including Pikachu, Jigglypuff, Slowpoke, Pichu, Togepi, Psyduck, and more.
Though not everyone will do so, there are plenty of reasons for Pokemon fans to visit Japan. As the birthplace of the series, the country has featured numerous Pokemon events and unique experiences based on the franchise, with some recent instances including the Pokemon Cafe, Pokemon hotel rooms, and the PokePark Kanto, which just opened in February.
