HAWAIIAN AIRLINES N389HA AIRBUS A330-243. Photo: Andrew Henderson/Airways
New Aircraft, Routes
The Airbus A330 gave HA a much better range and more opportunities to launch new routes, which it capitalized on. 2010 through 2014 saw a huge growth in HA’s Asian and International markets. The growth started with the launch of a daily Tokyo service in late 2010. 2011 brought Seoul and Osaka onto the route network, 2012 brought Sapporo, Brisbane and New York JFK to the Network.
Auckland and Sendai, Japan were added in 2013 and finally, Beijing was added to the Network in 2014. 2014 also saw the launch of a new subsidiary, ‘Ohana by Hawaiian. Ohana is operated by Empire Airlines, using 4 ATR 42 500 turboprops owned by Hawaiian.
In October 2015, HA announced its plans for lie flat business class seats on its A330 Aircraft. 2016 saw the airline receive the first of these A330s with Lie flat beds with the rest of the fleet soon being upgraded. 2017 was another huge year for HA.
In May, HA unveiled their new brand and livery. This logo and livery were an updated and more modern version of the Pualani logo. The announcement included that HA was to operate A321Neos and A330Neos. October 2017 saw HA take delivery of their first A321Neo. The A321Neo has 189 seats in Hawaiians configuration, and is used for Inter-Island and West Coast routes.
In March 2018 however, HA threw a bit of a curve ball and canceled its order for the A330Neos and instead opted for 10 Boeing 787-9s. In April 2019, HA launched a Non-Stop service from Honolulu to Boston. This route set a record for the longest regularly scheduled domestic flight in United States history. As we rolled into 2020, COVID-19 entered the scene.
Hawaiian Airlines N392HA Airbus A330-243. Photo: Luca Flores/Airway Amid COVID-19
The pandemic significantly hit the travel and aviation industry. HA was no exception and in the 2nd quarter of 2020, had a net US$100m dollar loss. COVID-19 caused HA to announce that they were looking to downsize 15-25% as a response to the market crash.
You may have noticed that I haven’t mentioned anything about crashes. That may be because HA has never had a fatal incident at any point in their 92 year history, making it one of the safest airlines to ever exist. All together, HA has an awesome and rich history.
From the humble beginnings with a CH-300, up to a fleet of long haul aircraft connecting Hawaii to the world, HA has built a lasting legacy. As we continue to fight the COVID-19 Pandemic, we can only hope that everyone stays safe and that the airline industry continues to rebound from these tough times.
