by Donald Wood
Last updated: 2:00 PM ET, Mon September 14, 2015
Photo via Twitter/AirlineReporter
For fans of the "Star Wars" movie series, seeing a commercial airplane emblazoned with a design that makes it look like the popular character R2-D2 is a true thrill.
As reported by Devan Coggan of Entertainment Weekly, Boeing held an official ceremony Saturday in Everett, Washington, featuring "Star Wars" theme music and Storm Troopers as the company officially unveiled the R2-D2-themed Boeing 787 Dreamliner to the public.
The new airplane will be delivered to Japan's largest airline, All Nippon Airways (ANA), and will officially take over the route from Haneda Airport in Tokyo to Vancouver, Canada starting October 18.
As TravelPulse's Rich Thomaselli wrote in April, All Nippon and Boeing originally announced the new plane as part of a five-year partnership Disney and the airline, dubbed ANA's "Star Wars" Project.
This is just the first in a series of three planes that will eventually be delivered to All Nippon Airways with a "Star Wars" theme. In addition to a plane resembling R2-D2, the next Boeing aircraft will feature BB-8, a new character that will be introduced in the new movie, "Star Wars: The Force Awakens."
The livery of a third plane, a Boeing 767-300, will feature elements of both BB-8 and R2-D2. These second and third themed planes are expected to be delivered and put into service by the end of 2016.
The relationship between All Nippon Airways and Disney also extends to the interior of the planes. In addition to movie-inspired headrest covers, napkins and cups on the painted aircraft, passengers will be treated to all of the "Star Wars" movies as in-flight entertainment options.
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