In conjunction with the release of Pokémon: The First Movie, All Nippon Airways unveiled the first Pokémon Jets on 1 July 1998. First two aircraft featured 151 Pokémon characters, including Pikachu, on their bodies, including Boeing 747-400Ds and Boeing 767-300s. It wasn’t long after the first 767 was unveiled that a second one was unveiled.

The 3 aircrafts were introduced on numerous domestic flights in Japan. A fourth aircraft, a Boeing 747-400, was painted in a Pokémon theme in February 1999, and was called the US version by the airline, as it was put into service on the airline’s North American network. The aircraft was identical to the previous three aircrafts, except the letters ANA were kept on the vertical stabilizer and operated its first flight to New York City’s JFK International Airport on 24 February 1999.

Scoot, Singapore Airlines’ low-cost subsidiary, has decorated a Boeing 787 Dreamliner with a special Pokémon theme. In addition to regular service across the Scoot network from September 2022, Pickachu Jet TR will be used for special Pokémon-themed flights as part of the Pokemon Air Adventures project. It is also, the first non-Japanese airline to feature a Pokémon.

A Japanese airline with a base at Miyazaki Airport, Solaseed Air, introduced an updated Boeing 737-800 in December 2020, after nearly four years without Pokémon.

The original plan for ANA airlines in 2011 was to choose a design for the new themed aircraft through a contest. After the 2011 earthquake, the airline decided to suspend the contest. The chosen design by the airline, symbolized a peaceful world and was named the Peace Jet and was painted on a Boeing 777-300 from 2011 to 2016.

The latest Pokémon-themed jet and the first to feature in Taiwan, is one of the first Airbus A321neo aircraft to be delivered to China Airlines. Featuring 11 Pokémon characters, the Pokémon Company designed it exclusively for the airline, and it uses bright, vivid colors to complement China Airlines color scheme.

Trivia

During flights on ANA Pokémon Jets in the year 2000, a pin depicting Pikachu and Pichu was given to each person who was traveling.

Occasionally ANA would held distribution events for the celebration of new Pokémon Jets or other seasonal events in Haneda International Airport in Tokyo, Japan, for Japanese versions of the main series games.

A Flying Pikachu was first distributed in 2004 for Pokémon Ruby, Sapphire, Emerald, FireRed, and LeafGreen Versions in commendation of the launch of Pikachu Jumbo and Ohana Jumbo.

A Darkrai was distributed on Winter 2010 for Black and White Versions in partnership with Pokémon Center in promotion for their winter vacation event.

Another Flying Pikachu was distributed in 2011 for Black and White Versions in commendation to the launch of Peace Jet.

In 1998, an exclusive print of Flying Pikachu depicting an aircraft in the background and a Dragonite was released in the “Pokémon Getaways” campaign; passengers of the flight could redeem their boarding passes for these two cards.

The ANA Pikachu Jumbo was featured in the Pikachu shorts Pikachu’s Exploration Club, Pikachu’s Ice Adventure, and Pikachu’s Big Sparking Search.

In 2020, as part of The Pokémon Company’s partnership with Japan’s tourist board, a Solaseed Air jet received decals featuring Exeggutor and Alolan Exeggutor, as well as decorations inside the plane.

The Pikachu Jet is expanding its reaches in a few days’ time, with The Pokemon Company announcing that the novelty plane fleet will have an even busier 2023 itinerary. The expansion concerns China Airlines’ ongoing “Pokemon Air Adventure” series.

Aviation is one of those industries that some might say has its own specific language. With hundreds upon hundreds of abbreviations – and even more, depending on the region – anyone can get a little lost when either researching aviation-specific topics or simply are taking their first career steps in the industry.

Toma Matutyte, CEO of Locatory.com, an aviation IT company, primarily acting as an aircraft parts locator, says that coming face-to-face with aviation can be a real shock to the system as many of the procedures, industry segments, regulators and more have their own abbreviations.

Why to Know Such Abbreviations

“One thing is true – no one is born knowing aviation terminology or industry-specific abbreviations, but the learning curve can be a steep one, especially for those, who are jumping into aviation for the first time. It would be safe to say that we have abbreviations for almost anything and everything – learning, understanding them is an important part of working in aviation, as the most common ones are used daily.” Matutyte shares some of the most common aviation abbreviations aviation businesses come in contact on daily basis and are essential to know for an avid aviation fan and a newly joining professional alike.

A/C or AC

In aviation, this common abbreviation stands for aircraft. In commercial aviation, there are two types of aircraft – narrow-body and wide-body. Narrow-body aircraft are characterized by a single-isle configuration and operate on short distance flights. Wide-body, on the other hand, have capacity to carry between 200 and 850 passengers and typically have two isles. These aircraft fly medium and long haul flights.

AOG

Deciphered as Aircraft on Ground. This aviation maintenance term indicates that an aircraft problem is serious enough to prevent it from leaving the ground. While an AOG situation can be caused by a variety of reasons, like flight scheduling conflicts or even weather conditions, sometimes in-service aircraft can also be grounded for mechanical reasons. If that is the case, commercial aircraft cannot return to service until they’re repaired, inspected and approved.

MRO

Abbreviating maintenance, repair and overhaul, or maintenance repair organization, it is the core services of many aviation businesses. MRO refers to all the activities that are aimed at ensuring the aircraft remain ready to fly at all times. “Maintenance part of the business is responsible for making sure that the aircraft is in prime flying conditions, explains Matutyte. “ Repair is the rectification and elimination of actual/active defect, damage or system irresponsiveness and may vary from small dents to more extreme, like engine failure. Overhaul, on the other hand, is a process of preventive maintenance of the components of the aircraft or AC it self. Process includes complete disassembly and verification of unit in accordance with OEM (original equipment manufacturer) CMM (component maintenance manual) or AMM (aircraft maintenance manual).”

IATA

International Air Transport Association, founded in 1945. It is abbreviated as IATA more often than not, is the trade association for the world’s airlines. IATA supports aviation with global standards for airline safety, security, efficiency and sustainability.

AO

Refers to aircraft operator, an organization and people who either own or operate the aircraft, equipment, procedures and related information. It is important not to confuse with the term “air carrier,” which usually means an air transport undertaking with a valid operating license, according to a definition by EU Regulation.

ACMI

Deciphered as aircraft, crew, maintenance and insurance. In the last couple of years, ACMI has become a more visible aviation abbreviation. Also referred to as a wet or damp lease, it is an agreement between two airlines. “One airline – the lessor – agrees to provide an aircraft, crew, maintenance and insurance to another. The lessee, in turn, issues a payment on the number of block hours operated,” clarifies Matutyte. “This also means that the lessee is provided with additional or replacement capacity, even if it is at a short notice. These operations are quite common in business as well as commercial and cargo aviation world. ACMI as a business line has seen major popularity spike in the industry in the last couple of years. Some even say is one of the key driving forces of the industry at the moment.”

GSE

Ground service equipment is abbreviation of ground power units (GPUs), air start units (ASUs), tow vehicles, towbars and other transportation and equipment used by ground handling and support services to provide an aircraft with.

While these abbreviations only scratch the surface of hundreds of others used by pilots, cabin crew, air control officers, technicians as well as aviation-related businesses, these ones cover the most commonly encountered ones – even by the wider public, be it at an airport or online.

In the course of the aircraft’s life, maintenance is required. And when costs become too high, it is retired from flight. It’s at this point that the technicians take over,. They are removing parts such as landing gear, hydraulics, and even dropping engines to use such aircraft parts for repurposing. Even after the engine has run its course, there is still some life left in it!

Over the past few decades, the number of aircraft being retired has steadily increased. During the global economic recession that started in 2008, up to 900 aircraft were retired annually. The current rate is about 600 aircraft per year, and the rate can fluctuate up and down depending on business conditions.

The average retirement rate is expected to continue to grow as an increasing fleet comes of age. Over 20 percent of the 27,000 commercial aircraft in service globally are older than 20 years and are likely to be decommissioned within the next decade. The number of commercial aircraft set to be retired over the next two decades is estimated to exceed 20,000.

The aviation industry historically has not paid much attention to circular dismantling and recycling. Until recently, aircraft recycling was almost nonexistent, polluting, and the majority of aircraft were rusting and decaying in plane graveyards. Furthermore, it was considered to be more economically attractive to just dump aircraft in these graveyards. Just like that, and not to invest in their meticulous dismantling and recycling.

The Future of Aircraft Part Aftermarket

However, in the last decade, aviation industries have begun leveraging the enormous economic and environmental benefits of dismantling and recycling aircraft and their parts, such as the airframe, fuselage, and engines. Although there are still gaps in the recycling and dismantling approaches among sectors – e.g. aircraft are still not designed with disassembly in mind, there is no uniform EU decommissioning regulation – the entire value chain is aligned with circular economy principles.

When a plane has reached the end of its lifecycle, its owner usually first considers the trade-off between direct resale and dismantling & recycling. Plane owners will also categorize parts according to whether they can be reused or not. Such components are then subsequently reused or dismantled and recycled. Raw materials and dismantled parts remain the property of the original owner.

Specialized aircraft end-of-life companies also store reusable spare parts for aircraft owners, maintaining them as necessary. Depending on the owner’s request, these specialized companies can also act as brokers to maximize revenue from recovered parts.

Removed parts are also placed in inventory, recertified and returned to the market in different conditions: as removed, overhauled, serviceable and repaired. Engines, avionics, flight control systems, engine control systems, thrust reversers, hydraulic systems, landing gear, safety equipment, wheels, brakes, pumps, and electric motors are commonly reused in other aircraft today.

The Recipe For Success

Taking apart an entire plane, sorting all the components by type and reprocessing them is an art in itself. Dismantling engines and landing gear for spare parts, for instance, must be done professionally. Following that, all pollutants from hydraulic lines must be removed, such as extinguishing agents, kerosene, and oils.

With so much of the focus of the aviation industry on manufacturing new plane and maintaining or repairing existing aircraft, it can be easy to forget about an its end-of-life and what happens when a plane is decommissioned. With the rise of “green aviation” practices, aircraft recycling has become an increasingly important part of retiring an airplane.

To be truly successful as an industry, this problem requires whole system thinking. Reusability and recycling should be considered when designing a plane, from materials to construction methods. Airplane recycling should become streamlined and standardized, a seamless process. With collaboration and holistic thinking.