Japanese airline All Nippon Airways (ANA) has taken delivery of its very first Airbus A380 – and it has a smiley Hawaiian-themed sea turtle livery.
The new A380 will enter service on May 24, travelling between Tokyo’s Narita Airport and Honolulu, Hawaii. Its livery is called ‘flying honu’, with honu being a Hawaiian term of endearment used towards the sea turtle, which is a sacred creature in Hawaii.
The aircraft, which is one of three on order by ANA and boasts first class suites with privacy doors, was officially handed over during a ceremony last week at the Airbus factory in Toulouse.
The brand new A380, with a smiley sea turtle livery, that has been officially handed over to Japanese airline All Nippon Airways (ANA) at the Airbus factory in Toulouse
The upper deck of the plane will have eight first class seats with sliding privacy doors. Pictured is a rendering of the suite
Located at the back of the plane is a ‘multi-purpose’ room, rendering pictured, where parents can tend to their babies and mothers can breastfeed, or where passengers can change clothes or freshen their make-up
It has been designed to provide maximum comfort for up to 520 passengers on this route with its ‘premium layout seating’.
The upper deck is home to eight first class private suites that come with 32 inch TV screens, wardrobes and several power outlets.
There are also 56 business class seats, which convert to fully flat beds, and 73 premium economy seats in the upper deck.
The first class seats on board ANA’s new A380 will come with 32 inch TV screens, wardrobes and several power outlets
Shinya Katanozka, president and CEO of ANA Holdings, said: ‘We will commit all three of our Airbus A380s 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 travellers’
The main deck will have 383 economy class seats, including 60 couch seats.
Each couch comprises three or four seats, with passengers able to lie on the seats by folding up the leg rests.
In addition to expanded passenger space, ANA says the aircraft ‘offers heightened internet options’ as well as other advanced in-flight features.
These include a colourful lighting scheme in the cabin, said to be reminiscent of Hawaiian sunrises, starry skies, and rainbows.
The main deck of the brand new aircraft will have 383 economy class seats, including 60 couch seats, pictured
Each couch, pictured, comprises three or four seats, with passengers able to lie on the seats by folding up the leg rests
Meanwhile, located at the back of the plane is a ‘multi-purpose’ room, where parents can tend to their babies and mothers can breastfeed, or where passengers can change clothes or freshen their make-up.
Shinya Katanozka, president and CEO of ANA Holdings, said: ‘We will commit all three of our Airbus A380s 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 travellers.
‘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.
‘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.’
There will be 73 premium economy seats, pictured, in the upper deck. The A380 will fly between Tokyo’s Narita Airport and Hawaii
The cabin will have a colourful lighting scheme, said to be reminiscent of Hawaiian sunrises, starry skies, and rainbows
Airbus CEO Thomas Enders added: ‘Airbus is proud to deliver this beautiful and iconic aircraft to ANA. 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.’
A second A380 plane will boast a Hawaiian Ocean Emerald Green livery.
The brand new aircraft takes off from Toulouse in France, headed for Japan. ANA has another two A380s on order
Despite the grand reveal of the new aircraft, the A380 model has never turned a profit for Airbus and sales have slowed dramatically as airlines now favour smaller, more nimble planes.
Critics of the A380 argue the double-deckers are too large, leaving airlines with an impossible task of filling seats for commercial flights.
Airbus announced the ‘painful’ decision to scrap the A380 after Emirates, its biggest customer, slashed its orders by about a quarter.
Airbus will produce 14 more of the planes for Emirates and another two for ANA.