Pikachu learns how to fly as Japan’s new Pokemon airliner takes fight

Like the rest of his Pokemon brethren, Pikachu is capable of learning a variety of abilities, such as Tail Whip, Electro Ball, and Thunderbolt. As of this month, though, he’s added yet another: flight.

Monday was the first flight of Japanese low-cost carrier Skymark Airlines’ new Pikachu Jet. Part of the Flying Pikachu tourism project, the plane departed Tokyo’s Haneda Airport and arrived later that day at Naha in Okinawa.

The distinctively decorated plane boasts 10 large Pikachus, five on each side, on its exterior, but it’s inside where the Poke-population really surges. Each seat is equipped with a Pikachu headrest cover, and cabin crews will be decked out with special Pikachu aprons. The theming carries over to the in-flight refreshment service as well, with Pikachu cups and, while supplies last, specially wrapped KitKats. Even the pre-flight process is Poke-fied, with Skymark check-in kiosks on the Pikachu jet route decked out with Pokemon artwork.

In addition to Haneda, the Pikachu Jet will be connecting Okinawa’s Naha and Miyako airports with Ibaraki, Nagoya, Kobe and Fukuoka.

As adorable as the Pikachu Jet may be, this news might seem bittersweet to overseas Pokemon fans, what with Japan’s borders still closed to international leisure tourism. Cheer up, though, because the Pikachu Jet is scheduled to be in service for the next five years.

source: https://bit.ly/3jqFhps