"We take great pride in being ‘Hawaii’s airline’ and the distinguished place our company holds in aviation history is a tribute to our hard-working employees and loyal customers,” said Mark Dunkerley, Hawaiian’s president and CEO. "After 83 years, Hawaiian is becoming a global carrier, and one that remains comprehensively focused on Hawaii. As we continue building on this legacy of service to our islands, we owe a debt of gratitude to all those who have made this milestone possible."
Hawaii’s introduction to the age of commercial air transportation began on Nov. 11, 1929, when the inaugural flight of Inter-Island Airways (renamed Hawaiian Airlines in 1941) departed from John Rodgers Field (now Honolulu International Airport) bound for Hilo with thousands looking on.
The Sikorsky S-38 amphibian biplane, one of only two in the new fleet, was filled to capacity that day with eight passengers and two crewmembers. With a top cruising speed of 110 MPH, the inaugural flight took more than three hours to complete, which included a stopover on Maui. The first flight to Kauai took place the next day and soon all the islands were receiving air service on a regular basis.
In 1930, its first full year of operations, the new airline carried more than 10,000 passengers — a total that Hawaiian today exceeds daily — and the growing company soon began adding newer, larger, and more aircraft and hiring more employees to improve its quality of service for Hawaii, a commitment that is ongoing.
Today, Hawaiian is the largest it has ever been with more flights to more destinations, more aircraft and more employees than at any other time in its history. The airline currently operates more than 200 flights daily serving 11 gateway cities in North America, six in Asia, two in the South Pacific, and one in Oceania with new services planned for Brisbane, Australia (November 27) and Auckland, New Zealand (March 13, 2013). Continued growth into new and existing markets outside Hawaii is planned.
"Our long term plan is focused on expansion into markets that have the greatest potential for growth in visits to Hawaii, and we look forward to bringing many more visitors to our islands in the months and years ahead as we continue to expand our operations and carry the Hawaii brand to more places," Dunkerley said.
In keeping with its continuing growth, Hawaiian has hired more than 500 new employees in 2012 and now has a total workforce of 4,816. The company plans to add another 300 new operational and administrative positions in 2013.
Hawaiian currently operates a fleet of 43 aircraft, comprised of 25 wide-body 294-seat Airbus A330-200 aircraft and wide-body 264-seat Boeing 767-300ER aircraft for transpacific flights, and 18 narrow-body 123-seat Boeing 717-200 aircraft for Neighbor Island flights.
As part of its long-range fleet renewal and expansion plan, Hawaiian will take delivery of 13 new A330s between 2013 and 2015, bringing to 22 the total number of A330s in its fleet.
Hawaiian’s new A330s are more fuel-efficient and have a longer operating range than its fleet of Boeing 767-300 aircraft, giving Hawaiian the capability to open new nonstop routes between Hawaii and points throughout North America and eastern Asia.
Starting in 2017 Hawaiian will begin welcoming the first of six next-generation, longer-range A350XWB-800 aircraft into its fleet, which will enable further growth into more distant international markets. Hawaiian’s A350s will seat more than 300 passengers in a two-class configuration and have a range of 8,300 nautical miles, allowing Hawaiian to fly nonstop between Hawaii and virtually any viable tourism source market around the world.
See the original article at: KHON2 Local News
