US carrier Hawaiian Airlines is searching for additional Boeing 767s weeks after emerging from bankruptcy protection, in a bid to expand its network, writes Justin Wastnage in Honolulu.
The independent carrier emerged from Chapter 11 on 2 June, over two years after filing for protection from its creditors in the wake of a severe downturn in leisure bookings due to the US invasion of Iraq. Mark Dunkerley, Hawaiian’s chief executive, says the protection period allowed it to restructure and return to a level of profitability, enabling it to pay its debts in full. Changes to labour agreements with flightcrew and maintenance personnel led to a rise in profitability of around 15%, he says.
During the Chapter 11 period, several local and mainland USA-based competitors launched rival services, especially to the US West Coast, as Hawaiian was unable to expand while under protection, Dunkerley says.
The Honolulu-based airline is now seeking to augment its 14 767-300ERs to launch services to northern California, Oregon and Washington states; to increase frequencies to its eight south-western US destinations; and to add routes to Pacific Rim countries. Hawaiian will add services to San José, California in October, but has insufficient capacity to fulfil other expansion hopes, says Dunkerley.
“We can’t guarantee where or when we will acquire, but we are in the market for additional lift. It’s a tight market,” he says.
The carrier flies to American Samoa, French Polynesia, Papeete and Sydney, and has received “positive signals” to enquiries about doubling frequencies to Sydney under the US-Australia bilateral agreement. There are slots available under the US-Japanese bilateral that Hawaiian could use to fly to Japanese regional cities, and New Zealand is another possible destination.
Source: Flight International
