Hawaiian Airlines Orders 2 More Boeing 787-9s

Boeing has secured its first widebody order of the year. While small, every order counts and is essential to the program.

Hawaiian Airlines announced an order for two more 787-9 aircraft. This brings the total firm units ordered to 12.

In addition to the latest order announcement, the airline has also deferred delivery of the Boeing 787s.

They’ll now arrive from Q4 of 2023 through 2027. A four-year period that would have initially seen the first deliveries toward the back end of 2022. 

The airline switched from Airbus to Boeing after ordering the A330-800, part of the A330neo family. However, after cancelling this commitment with the European plane maker, it switched to the Boeing 787.

The airline once ordered the Airbus A350-800. However, a now-cancelled variant in the A350 family led it to switch to the A330-800. 

According to fleet data from Cirium, the airline has 24 A330-200s. The fleet averages 9.6 years old, with the oldest at 12.7 years and the youngest at 5.3 years.

Their ATR 42s, 717s and ATR 72s are where the age emerges. All of these aircraft average over 20 years, respectively.

The Boeing 787, while not replacing these narrow bodies, will play an essential role in the carrier’s future. The ambition is to connect better with Honolulu.

In January 2023, the airline saw tremendous growth in specific markets, notably through Japan. Flights per month are increasing by over 100%. Meanwhile, seats available in some cases increased by over 400%, per Cirium data.

This is compared with January 2022, as restrictions begin to ease in that part of the world. Other well-performing routes include Incheon and Sydney. 

Delivery delays aren’t uncommon. It’s a tough decision for the airline’s executives—but typically the right one.