Toulouse. 22 March 2019. Rolls-Royce joined celebrations at Airbus’ Headquarters in Toulouse, France as Japanese airline ANA took delivery of the first of its three new Airbus A380s.
The aircraft will operate between Tokyo and Honolulu, and has a striking sea turtle livery. The green sea turtle, or ‘Honu’ in Hawaiian, represents endurance, long life and good luck, and those who see one are said to be blessed with good fortune and prosperity. The livery design, named the ‘Flying Honu’, will appear in different colours on all three A380s.
Almost 1.6 million Japanese tourists visited Hawaii last year, second only to visitors from the United States. With this number set to increase, ANA’s three new A380s will continue to boost Hawaiian tourism and open up capacity on the route. Features such as Hawaiian-themed rainbow mood lighting, eight first-class suites and a ‘Blue Hawaii’ cocktail served in all classes will ensure passengers can begin their holiday from the minute they take off.
At the handover ceremony, Chris Cholerton, Rolls-Royce, President – Civil Aerospace said: “We are so proud to be Airbus’ partner in delivering this magnificent aircraft. Seeing the big sea turtle at Narita will no doubt excite millions of children, and adults too, for years to come. We feel very fortunate that Rolls-Royce was chosen by ANA to power this new aircraft with our Trent 900.”
The aircraft, named Lani, which is Hawaiian for blue sky, took off from Toulouse to Narita Airport in Tokyo, where it will be welcomed with a ceremony. It will enter service on 24th May 2019.
