Hawaiian Airlines announced today that it will launch nonstop service between its Honolulu hub and Seoul-Incheon, beginning January 2011, pending approval from the South Korean Ministry of Land, Transport and Maritime Affairs (MLTM).
The carrier plans to operate the new flights four-times weekly with Boeing 767-300ER aircraft. The airline says it plans to increase service later in 2011 as its fleet expands. Earlier this year, Hawaiian began accepting delivery of Airbus A330-200 aircraft.
The announcement comes as the market between Korea and Hawaii has seen strong growth in passenger numbers. "In less than two years with the Visa Waiver Program (VWP) between the USA and South Korea, the number of Korean travellers to Hawaii has exploded, with a record-breaking increase of 91 percent in the first quarter of 2010," says CW Lee, President and CEO of Incheon International Airport Corporation.
Hawaiian has provided access to South Korea to its customers through a partnership with Korean Air that launched in 2007. The two airlines have agreed to place KAL's code on the new Hawaiian flight, though the move requires approval from South Korean authorities.
Source: Air Transport Intelligence news
