Airline Seeks To Open New Domestic And International Nonstop Service To Hawaii

Having reached key labor agreements with its pilot and flight attendant unions on the introduction of new aircraft, Hawaiian Airlines has announced that it has signed a definitive purchase agreement with Airbus to acquire 16 new A321neo aircraft.  The transaction, which finalizes the Memorandum of Understanding announced in January, is the latest step in Hawaiian's phased fleet plan designed to supplement its current wide-body fleet of 26 aircraft, expand its long-range fleet, and enable it to open new domestic and international nonstop services to Hawaii.

"Adding the superior comfort and operating efficiencies of the A321neo will secure Hawaiian's position as the Hawaii market leader in service quality, cost efficiency and choice of destinations from the U.S. West Coast throughout this decade and beyond," said Mark Dunkerley, president and CEO of Hawaiian Airlines.

"Airbus prides itself on being part of our customers' growing successes, and this order is the perfect example of how the right plane at the right airline can alter not just a business culture, but a local community," said John Leahy, Airbus Chief Operating Officer, Customers.

Hawaiian's A321neo aircraft will seat approximately 190 passengers in a two-class configuration (First and Coach) and have an operating range of 3,650 nautical miles. Hawaiian currently operates a fleet of 44 aircraft, comprised of 26 wide-body, long-haul aircraft (294-seat Airbus A330-200 aircraft and 264-seat Boeing 767-300ER aircraft), and 18 narrow-body 123-seat Boeing 717-200 aircraft for Neighbor Island flights.

Hawaiian's existing aircraft orders include an additional 12 new A330s between 2013 and 2015, and six next-generation, longer-range A350XWB-800 aircraft starting in 2017. The existing fleet of 16 Boeing 767s will phase out over the next 10 years. Terms of the purchase agreements were not disclosed.  The order has a combined list-price value of approximately $2.8 billion if all purchase rights are exercised. Delivery of the new aircraft will being in 2017 and extend to 2020.

Hawaiian has led all U.S. carriers in on-time performance for each of the past nine years (2004-2012) as reported by the U.S. Department of Transportation. Now in its 84th year of continuous service, Hawaiian is Hawaii's biggest and longest-serving airline, as well as the largest provider of passenger air service from its primary visitor markets on the U.S. mainland.

FMI: www.airbus.com