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

Pikachu Jet takes off, and will be flying fans around Japan for years to come.

Like the rest of his Pokémon 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.

▼ A pack of Pikachus was on hand for the plane’s official unveiling.

The distinctively decorated plane boasts 10 large Pikachus, five on each side, on its exterior, but it’s inside where the Poké-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 Poké-fied, with Skymark check-in kiosks on the Pikachu jet route decked out with Pokémon 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 Pokémon 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: Skymark via Kai-You, Flying Pikachu, Norimono News
Top image: Flying Pikachu
Insert images: Flying Pikachu (1, 2), Skymark Airlines (1, 2, 3)
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