On May 30, All Nippon Airways (ANA), the largest airline in Japan, unveiled an aeronautical-themed nonfungible token (NFT) marketplace, ANA GranWhale NFT Marketplace, in partnership with its subsidiary, ANA Neo.
The platform’s inaugural collection is created by aerial photographer Luke Ozawa. One of Ozawa’s digital photos will be converted into an NFT and auctioned along with a physical image. The starting price for this NFT is set at 100,000 yen (approximately $910).
In the subsequent release, ANA plans to launch a collection of NFTs representing the first Boeing 787 operated by the airline. The release scheduled for June 7, will feature 787 items each of two types, totaling 1,574 items. Each item will cost 7,870 yen (approximately $72).
ANA, which reported revenues of $12.2 billion in its last fiscal year, plans to expand the NFT product line in the future. The company aims to enhance the value of the customer experience through the commercialization of NFTs.
The development of ANA Neo’s GranWhale began last August as a virtual travel platform. Leveraging technology, including VR, the platform recreates global destinations and cultures in the form of metaverse parks. The vision is to fuse the virtual and the real, symbolized by the ANA GranWhale logo, as the company ventures towards a future where Web 3.0 and metaverse travel become more commonplace
