Hawaiian Airlines to increase MD-95 (717-200) fleet

Hawaiian Airlines said it leased three additional Boeing 717-200 aircraft to meet increasing passenger demand, and has also purchased its existing fleet of 15 leased 717-200s from Boeing Capital Corp. in a refinancing transaction aimed at reducing its long-term fleet costs. Terms of the transactions were not released.

The three leased 717s will allow the carrier to expand its interisland service between Honolulu, Kahului, Lihue, Hilo and Kona during peak travel periods, said HA, which expects to take delivery of the three additional aircraft in September, October and November.

Starting in October, HA said it will add approximately 20 flights per day between Honolulu and its other airports in Hawaii. It expects to hire an additional 40-50 pilots, flight attendants and ground staff to support the increased flight operations.

"With our increasing service to Hawaii from Asia, demand for our interisland flights during peak hours of the day and during popular travel periods has never been higher," said HA President and CEO Mark Dunkerley. "Adding these aircraft will give us the ability to serve more customers during these periods. At the same time, we are restructuring the ownership of our existing fleet to reduce our aircraft costs. With other costs rising quickly, this will help us keep fares affordable."

(Linda Blachly - ATWOnline News)