All Nippon Airways or the ANA said that it was time for four of its Boeing 747-400s to withdraw from service. The airline has fixed the retirement of its last 747 aircraft that will operate between Naha, Okinawa, and Tokyo on March 29, 2014.

At present, All Nippon Airways is using five of these planes on domestic routes. The airline included the first Boeing 747SR-81 on December 20, 1978. It added its first Boeing 747-281B on June 25, 1985. The airline said towering fuel prices has forced it to arrive at this decision. It however, plans to replace these jets with smaller but more cost-efficient alternatives.

Pikachu Jumbo, the 747 aircraft that is adorned with designs of Pikachu and other characters from the famous Pocket Monsters animation series commonly known, as Pokémon will also be amongst the four. This jet is set to retire in September. The news might disappoint and break the hearts of many children who have had the chance to board this colorful plane.

This jet made its first public appearance in1998. It has since operated on both domestic and international routes. The carrier also planned a farewell flight on Haneda-Sapporo route connecting Tokyo and Hokkaido. The airline made three round-trip flights each day until August 8, 2013. The airline maintained that a related plane called Pokémon Jet would continue to operate. This is a Boeing 777 aircraft. Another prominent airline in Japan has already retired all its Boeing 747s.

The airline operates from its headquarters in Shiodome area in Minato, Tokyo. It has flights to 49 destinations within Japan and 32 cities across the world.