US carrier Hawaiian Airlines has taken delivery of the first of 12 Boeing 787 Dreamliners for which it holds firm orders.
The airline confirms that its first 787-9 arrived in Honolulu on 14 February via a delivery flight from Boeing’s 787 production facility in Charleston, South Carolina.
It took delivery of the jet ”under a purchase assignment and leaseback transaction”, the carrier discloses in a regulatory filing.
Hawaiian will officially welcome the aircraft during a ceremony on 23 February.
“Over the next two months, we will be conducting familiarisations flights for our employees at various airport stations,” the carrier says.
The jet will make its maiden revenue flight from Honolulu to Los Angeles on 15 May, followed by a flight to Phoenix the next day. Powered by a pair of GE Aerospace GEnx-1B74 engines, the aircraft is configured to seat 300 passengers, according to Cirium fleets data.
Hawaiian is anticipating three 787s in 2024, with deliveries expected to continue into 2027. The carrier says it is currently exploring financing options for future Dreamliner deliveries.
The first of the widebody jets was initially scheduled to arrive in Honolulu during the fourth quarter of last year, but Boeing informed Hawaiian in July that it would be delayed by a couple of months – pushing the aircraft’s arrival into 2024.
Hawaiian operates a fleet of 19 Boeing 717-200 aircraft for island-hopping, and 24 Airbus A330-200 and 18 A321neo aircraft for North American and international flights.
The carrier has been experiencing a slow recovery in its core international market of Japan and recently forfeited take-off and landing slots at Tokyo’s Haneda airport, citing “unfavourable” market conditions.
Meanwhile, Hawaiian shareholders are due to vote on the carrier’s proposed acquisition by Alaska Airlines on 16 February.
