The first Airbus plane to be decked out in a Super Nintendo World livery has been unveiled, as part of a brand-new collaboration between Spirit Airlines and Universal Studios Hollywood.
The Airbus A320-271N was revealed on February 21, 2024, as it prepared to take its first flight from Detroit Metro Airport (DTW) Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood Airport (FLL)
The first passengers onboard took off from DTW just before 05:40 local time, before landing over two hours later in Fort Lauderdale at 07:55.
Spirit plans to fly the freshly painted A320neo, registered N986NK, through to May 2024, from 20 US cities to Los Angeles Airport (LAX) enroute to Universal Studios Hollywood.
The collaboration between Universal and Spirit came as the studio celebrates the one-year anniversary of Super Nintendo World opening at the Hollywood theme park.
Something exciting is soaring through the skies! @SpiritAirlines and Universal Studios Hollywood have teamed up on the first-ever SUPER NINTENDO WORLD Themed @Airbus A320neo! #supernintendoworld #spiritairlines ✈️ pic.twitter.com/DLNIwdd267
— Universal Studios Hollywood (@UniStudios) February 21, 2024
Super Nintendo World is a 3D land packed full of fans’ favorite characters from the Mario franchise with theme park rides inspired by Mario Kart and the evil Bowser.
To celebrate the anniversary, a select number of visitors to Super Nintendo World will also receive a commemorative, special-release ‘Golden Power-Up Band’ and a complimentary one-year ‘Anniversary Button’.
Over the years many airlines have opted to paint aircraft with colorful characters from movies and TV shows as part of collaborations with film studios.
Star Wars, Pokémon, Mickey Mouse and even The Simpsons have been used to create some of aviation’s most memorable liveries.