January 8, 2013
By AUDREY McAVOY , The Associated Press
HONOLULU - Hawaiian Airlines said Monday that it plans to buy more than a dozen new Airbus planes to help it meet demand for travel between the West Coast and the islands.
Mock up of what Hawaiian Airlines Airbus A321neo will look like. Aircraft image from Airbus.
The airline signed an agreement with the Toulouse, France-based airplane manufacturer to buy 16 new A321neo jets, each seating about 190 passengers in first and economy class.
The planes - to be delivered four to seven years from now - will allow Hawaiian to open new markets and boost service to cities it already flies to, the airline said. The Honolulu-based airline plans to add 1,000 jobs as part of the expansion.
"It's an exciting new chapter for our business. It underscores the confidence we have in our company and the market in which we operate," Hawaiian CEO Mark Dunkerley said in a telephone interview.
The move also ensures that Hawaiian remains the "most competitive carrier in the marketplace," Dunkerley said.
The single-aisle plane will carry fewer passengers than the 294-seat Airbus A330 and 264-seat Boeing 767 jets Hawaiian currently flies between Hawaii and the West Coast.
But it will carry more than the 123-seat Boeing 717 the airline uses on interisland routes. The aircraft is not intended for flights between the islands.
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