Quote:
HAWAIIAN Airlines is considering nonstop flights from Hawaii to Perth after it committed to buying several ultra-long-range Boeing 787-9 planes yesterday.
Speaking from Honolulu the airline’s president and chief executive Peter Ingram said destinations “such as Perth were certainly options”.
“While delivery is three years away and we have not yet examined in detail the different markets the Boeing 787 gives us a many interesting possibilities such as London and Perth.”
The airline ordered 10 787s and 10 options for delivery in the first quarter of 2021.
Hawaiian Airlines is one of the Pacific’s great success stories and its fleet now numbers 53 and it flies to 28 destinations including Brisbane, Sydney and Auckland.
"The 787 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 Mr 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."
He added that “the Dreamliner’s excellent fuel efficiency makes the 787-9 an ideal choice for Hawaiian’s long-haul Asia/Pacific and North America routes.”
Now in its 89th year of continuous service, Hawaiian is Hawaii’s biggest and longest-serving airline.
It offers non-stop service to Hawaii from more US gateway cities (11) than any other airline, along with service from Japan, South Korea, China, Australia, New Zealand, American Samoa and Tahiti.
The airline operates approximately 170 jet flights daily between the Hawaiian Islands, with a total of more than 250 daily flights system-wide.
The Boeing 787 that Hawaiian has ordered is identical to the model that Qantas will use to launch Perth to London flights on March 24.
The interest from Hawaiian Airlines adds to the momentum that Perth Airport and the State Government are building for more international services.
China Eastern will start services later this year from Shanghai to Perth, while Japan Air Lines is expected to announce Tokyo -Perth services this year.
Norwegian Argentina has also been give rights to fly from Buenos Aires to Perth, although that possible service is several years away.
