HONOLULU — Hawaiian Airlines is spreading its wings with the announcement that 10 additional aircraft will soon be added to its fleet.
The airline has executed a non-binding Letter of Intent (LOI) for the purchase of 10 Boeing 787-9 aircraft with purchase rights for an additional 10 aircraft. The first fuel-efficient, lightweight, passenger-friendly ‘Dreamliner’ is scheduled to arrive in the first quarter of 2021. Hawaiian has selected the General Electric GEnx engine to power the additions to its fleet.
The 787-9 features a spacious wide-body cabin with extra-large windows. The innovative composite airframe will allow Hawaiian to pressurize Dreamliner cabins at a far lower altitude, creating a more comfortable in-cabin atmosphere. Additional features include dimmable LED window shades and larger overhead luggage bins.
The Dreamliner’s excellent fuel efficiency makes the 787-9 an ideal choice for Hawaiian’s long-haul Asia/Pacific and North America routes.
“The Dreamliner combines excellent comfort for our guests with fantastic operational performance and will allow us to continue modernizing our fleet into the next decade,” said Hawaiian Airlines President and CEO Peter Ingram. “It has more seating capacity than Hawaiian’s current wide-body fleet, which will allow us to further build upon our successful growth in Asia.”
Hawaiian currently operates a mainline fleet of 54 aircraft: 24 Airbus A330-200 and eight Boeing 767 wide-body aircraft, two A321neo and 20 717 narrow-body aircraft. The company selected the 787-9 as part of a competitive bid process that also included the Airbus A330-900.
“We were in the enviable position of choosing between two outstanding models for our flagship aircraft of the future and I couldn’t be more excited about the prospect of adding the Dreamliner to Hawaiian’s fleet,” remarked Ingram.
Hawaiian expects to finalize binding purchase agreements with Boeing and GE in the second quarter of this year. The company will also begin negotiating inclusion of the new aircraft in its contracts with the Air Line Pilots Association and the Association of Flight Attendants, which is required prior to final approval of the purchase by the company’s Board of Directors.
