ANA’s Green Pokémon Jet takes flight with 246 passengers to Honolulu

Quick summary

All Nippon Airways launched its Green Pokémon Jet — a Boeing 787-9 registered JA923A — on international routes on September 18, 2026, with inaugural flight NH186 departing Tokyo Haneda for Honolulu carrying 246 passengers. The aircraft is scheduled across 15 international routes from Haneda and Narita through March 27, 2027, covering Tokyo–Honolulu, Seattle, Vancouver, Sydney, and multiple Asia-Pacific corridors.

This is the second of three Pokémon-themed aircraft ANA is deploying in 2026, and the first assigned primarily to international service. Aircraft assignments can change, so verifying equipment close to departure is essential for fans targeting the themed cabin.

ANA‘s Green Pokémon Jet touched down at Daniel K. Inouye International Airport on September 18, completing the 787-9’s first commercial international rotation and opening a six-month window for travelers to fly the Grass-type-themed widebody across the Pacific and into Asia. Flight NH186 pushed back from Haneda’s Terminal 2 Spot 67 at 9:58 p.m. — three minutes behind the published 21:55 schedule — and arrived in Honolulu with a full cabin.

For travelers planning Tokyo connections through late March 2027, the aircraft’s published route pool is broad enough to make a booking on JA923A genuinely achievable rather than a matter of luck. ANA has assigned the 787-9 to 10 routes from Haneda and five from Narita, spanning North America, Australia, and Southeast and South Asia.

The Green Jet is the international anchor of a three-aircraft program ANA is running through 2026, celebrating both the 30th anniversary of the Pokémon franchise and the 40th anniversary of ANA’s own international operations. The Red Pokémon Jet, a smaller 787-8, has been flying domestic Japanese sectors since July; a Blue Pokémon Jet on a 737-800 is expected to join domestic service in winter 2026.

Aircraft assignments on any carrier can shift for operational reasons, and ANA has flagged that caveat explicitly. Travelers who want the themed cabin — headrest covers, Pokémon background music, limited stickers — should confirm equipment type close to departure.

Route schedule and what the 787-9 assignment actually covers

ANA’s official deployment document lists the Green Pokémon Jet on a defined pool of international services rather than a fixed daily rotation, which means the aircraft cycles across multiple city pairs within the same week. From Haneda, scheduled destinations include Honolulu, Seattle, Vancouver, Sydney, Manila, Singapore, Delhi, Bangkok, Jakarta, and Kuala Lumpur. Narita rotations add Perth, Singapore, Bangkok, Jakarta, and Mumbai.

The inaugural NH186 carried 246 passengers and seven infants, according to Traicy’s on-the-ground coverage of the departure — a strong load for a Thursday evening transpacific departure and a signal that the themed livery is moving seats on a route ANA competes hard on.

The fuselage features Pikachu alongside Grass-type first-partner Pokémon across generations: Bulbasaur, Chikorita, Treecko, Turtwig, Snivy, Chespin, Rowlet, Grookey, and Sprigatito. Characters from the upcoming titles Pokémon Winds and Pokémon Waves also appear on the aircraft, tying the livery to a franchise release cycle that extends well beyond 2026.

Australian travelers have two entry points into the schedule: the Haneda–Sydney service and the Narita–Perth rotation, giving both east- and west-coast passengers a realistic shot at the themed cabin on flights between Australia and Japan.

Why ANA keeps coming back to Pokémon — and what it means for fares

The numbers from ANA’s first Pokémon aircraft program are worth knowing. Three jets introduced in 1998 — a 747-400D and two 767-300s — carried more than one million passengers by the end of January 1999. That is roughly 14 weeks of operation. The commercial logic of character branding on aviation hardware was established early, and ANA has never fully walked away from it.

The 2026 program is structurally different from the 2023 Pikachu Jet NH and Eevee Jet NH deployments, which concentrated on a narrower set of international routes. This time, three aircraft cover three fleet types — 787-9 for long-haul international, 787-8 for domestic widebody, 737-800 for short-haul domestic — giving the branding a presence at almost every level of ANA’s network simultaneously. The Green Jet’s 787-9 range and capacity make it the load-bearing piece internationally, particularly on the Tokyo–Honolulu axis where leisure demand is consistent year-round.

For travelers, the practical implication is that themed-flight demand tends to concentrate on the most visible routes. Honolulu bookings on NH186 and its return service are likely to fill faster than equivalent dates on the Seattle or Vancouver rotations, simply because Honolulu carries stronger leisure associations. North American travelers with flexibility on destination might find the Seattle or Vancouver corridors easier to target for the themed cabin experience.

Air Traveler Club’s monitoring occasionally flags temporary fare drops on North America–Tokyo services that can make a targeted ANA booking significantly cheaper than the standard economy rate — worth checking if the schedule window aligns with your travel dates.

How to target the Green Pokémon Jet before March 2027

The aircraft operates on a defined but rotating schedule across 15 routes — specific dates matter, and assignments can change without notice.

• Start with NH186 and its return service. The Haneda–Honolulu rotation was the inaugural assignment and remains the highest-profile route in the schedule. Use ANA’s multi-city search, select the 787-9 equipment filter where available, and check dates across October through February for the best availability.
• North American travelers: check Seattle and Vancouver too. Both Haneda corridors are in the Green Jet’s route pool. These services tend to attract less themed-flight demand than Honolulu, which may translate to better seat availability on the dates JA923A is rostered.
• Australian travelers: two options exist. The Haneda–Sydney service covers east-coast departures; the Narita–Perth rotation covers the west. Both run through March 27, 2027. Check equipment on both hubs before committing to a routing.
• Build in flexibility. ANA has explicitly flagged that aircraft types may change for operational reasons. If the themed cabin is the point of the trip, avoid booking a rigid itinerary around a single date without a backup option.
• Verify equipment 72 hours out. Use FlightAware or Flightradar24 to confirm JA923A is still assigned to your flight. Registration numbers are visible in real-time tracking data once the aircraft is positioned for the next day’s operation.

Watch: ANA’s winter 2026 schedule filing will confirm whether the Blue Pokémon Jet’s domestic launch date holds and whether any Green Jet routes are extended or adjusted beyond March 27, 2027.

Questions? Answers.