JAL unveils Gundam Jet ahead of Osaka Expo

Tokyo — Japan Airlines, or JAL, and Bandai Namco Holdings Inc. unveiled a passenger jet with a special livery based on the popular robot anime series “Gundam” at Tokyo’s Haneda Airport on Monday, ahead of the April opening of the 2025 World Exposition in Osaka Prefecture, western Japan.

The robot will appear on a screen at Bandai Namco’s pavilion at the Osaka Expo.

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The Boeing 737-800 jet, which also features an image of the expo’s official mascot Myaku-Myaku, made its first flight in the afternoon and will be used for domestic flights until around November.

“It’s a very cool and impressive finish,” Kumiko Miyasaka, head of JAL’s west Japan branch, said at the unveiling ceremony.

“We would like to bring dreams, hope and excitement, especially to children who are shouldering the future,” Bandai Namco director Nobuhiko Momoi said.

The two companies also plan to release limited edition items to commemorate the expo.