Sad times for plane spotters and Star Wars fans who get a thrill whenever they see the striking colours of the All Nippon Airways R2-D2 themed Boeing 787-9 anywhere around the world as this beautiful paint job is finally being retired after a decade of travel. Originally painted to celebrate the arrival of The Force Awakens, this leaves only the C-3PO remaining flying the skies.
The R2-D2 livery has adorned one of ANA’s 787-9s ever since it was delivered from Boeing’s Charleston facility in September 2015. The airline is currently the largest operator of the Boeing 787, with 84 aircraft across all three variants, and a further 35 still to be delivered. The R2-D2 aircraft, registration JA873A, was the first of four ANA aircraft to have a Star Wars special livery, and upon entering service it included a range of special Star Wars promotions onboard the aircraft.
ANA’s decade-long agreement with Disney Corporation is set to expire, and so JA873A will soon revert to the standard ANA branding. But as it winds down to the removal of the livery, the R2-D2 aircraft has been doing something of a world tour, flying to Paris, Frankfurt, Houston, Vienna, Los Angeles, and Munich over the past two weeks. Its final flight in the livery is from Washington Dulles International Airport to Tokyo Haneda Airport, where it will be removed from service for re-painting.
The ANA ‘Star Wars’ Fleet
R2-D2
Boeing 787-9
JA873A
Livery retired August 6
C-3PO
Boeing 777‑200
JA743A
Livery to be retired January 2026
BB-8
Boeing 777-300ER
JA789A
Aircraft retired
Combined R2‑D2 & BB‑8
Boeing 767-300ER
JA604A
Aircraft retired