Japan’s All Nippon Airways ventures into NFTs

On May 30, All Nippon Airways (ANA), Japan’s top airline, unveiled ANA GranWhale NFT, an aviation-themed non-fungible token (NFT) marketplace.

The debut collection features the captivating work of renowned aerial photographer Luke Ozawa.

A photo turned NFT

ANA is the largest airline in Japan, reporting revenues of $12.2 billion last year. To continue creating interesting customer experiences, the company shared its plans to introduce its NFT line.

On May 30, the aerial photographer Luke Ozawa’s digital photograph will be transformed into a non-fungible token (NFT). As part of this release, one NFT will be bundled with a film, serving as the original source for photo development.

“As part of the first airline group to launch an NFT marketplace, we are excited to pioneer a new avenue to connect with our customers and enhance their experience.  Through this initiative, we aim to unlock the potential of NFTs in the aviation industry, bringing together the digital and physical realms to create unique and memorable experiences that unite the world in wonder.”

Mitsuo Tomito, ANA NEO president & CEO.

The auction for this unique NFT, accompanied by the positive film, will commence at a price of 100,000 yen.

Simultaneously, ANA plans to unveil its second collection of NFTs on June 7, featuring the NFT representation of ANA’s inaugural Boeing 787 aircraft. These NFTs will be presented as 3D model airplanes and will consist of two distinct types, with a total of 1,574 items available for purchase.

Each NFT in this collection will be priced at 7,870 yen.

Harnessing advanced technology

The project was first announced in August 2022, when ANA NEO, a subsidiary of All Nippon Airways (ANA), revealed the official name of their upcoming virtual travel platform as “ANA GranWhale.” 

“We named the service ANA GranWhale to represent the memories and dreams of ANA customers around the world who have traveled with ANA throughout its 70-year history, and the large whale that was born to encompass the whole wild world.”

Mitsuo Tomito, ANA NEO president.

As a metaverse travel service that harnesses advanced technologies like virtual reality (VR) to recreate destinations and cultures from around the globe, the platform will comprise three distinct services: Sky Park, a travel-themed park space; Sky Mall, a shopping space; and Sky Village, a visionary area inspired by the cities of the future.

ANA exploring NFTs is not new to the industry.

In July 2022, airBaltic, a Latvian airline, announced the release of their second NFT collection, ‘Planies,” which consisted of 10,000 cartoon aircraft designs which offered holders loyalty benefits, including points towards travel.

For airlines, this suggests just a few of the opportunities web3 technology can play in improving customer retention, which may become an expectation for consumers as more airways follow airBaltic and ANA’s lead.

crypto.news reached out to ANA NEO for a response on what their release means for the industry, and are awaiting its response.