Alaska Airlines’ new Star Wars-themed aircraft takes to the skies
Alaska Airlines joined forces with Disneyland to unveil a new one-of-its-kind Star Wars-themed aircraft for May the Fourth and now the plane is flying on routes across Alaska’s network.
The plane, painted space black with the iconic Millennium Falcon emblazoned on the tail chased by TIE fighters, celebrates Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge. To bring the imagery to life, the plane’s exterior required 228 gallons of paint applied during 540 work hours over 27 days. For the painting, 23 base colors were used with numerous custom colors mixed onsite for the detailed airbrushing of the Millennium Falcon and the TIE fighters.
This is the seventh painted plan for the Disneyland Resort.bThe aircraft’s official name is “Star Wars Transport to the Disneyland Resort” with a tail number of N538AS. After the big reveal and celebration at the gate in the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, the plane made its inaugural flight to John Wayne Airport in Orange County.
The Star Wars-inspired design is a collaboration among teams at Alaska, Disneyland Resort and Lucasfilm. Familiar spacecraft span each side of the plane with hand painted, detailed imagery: the Millennium Falcon and four TIE fighters. Designers at Disneyland Resort focused on the Millennium Falcon for the spotlight.
The Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge and Disneyland Resort logos are featured in the center of the fuselage.For a little fun, porgs – the cute avian creatures that lived on Luke Skywalker’s remote island – look back at passengers from both winglets, as another porg greets guests at the boarding door.
