Airbus delivers first ANA A380 with special ‘Flying Honu’ livery

Japan’s All Nippon Airways (ANA) took delivery of its first A380 at a special ceremony at the Airbus Delivery Center in Toulouse on Wednesday.

The aircraft delivered yesterday was the first of three A380’s for ANA who becomes the 15th operator of the world’s largest passenger aircraft.

The Japanese airline will also be the last new customer to take delivery of an A380.

Airbus has said it is pulling the plug on the A380 programme with the last deliveries of the aircraft being made by 2021.

The ‘Flying Honu’ will operate on the popular route between Tokyo Narita and Honolulu from May 24.

Each ANA A380 will feature a special livery depicting the Hawaiian Green Sea Turtle, also known as the Honu.

The livery on the first aircraft is painted in blue, while the second will be green and the third orange.

“We will commit all three of our Airbus A380 to the Tokyo Honolulu route with the goal of introducing a new level of luxury service to our passengers flying ANA on the number one resort route for Japanese travelers,” said Shinya Katanozaka, President and CEO of ANA HOLDINGS INC.

“We believe the A380 will become a game changer for ANA and will enable us to increase our market share by doubling the number of seats connecting Honolulu and Tokyo by 2020,” he added.

“The FLYING HONU is designed to offer unprecedented comfort and convenience and a world of new possibilities to ANA passengers, something that would not have been possible without the combined efforts of the Airbus and Rolls-Royce teams working closely with the dedicated professionals at ANA.”

“Airbus is proud to deliver this beautiful aircraft to ANA,” said Airbus CEO Tom Enders. “Offering unrivalled levels of passenger comfort, the A380 will enable ANA to increase its capacity on the busy route to Hawaii with maximum efficiency.

We are confident that the aircraft will be highly successful in service with ANA and are committed to providing full support to the airline all along the way.”