Hawaiian Airlines has reached agreements with Airbus and engine maker Rolls-Royce to acquire up to 24 new long-range wide-body aircraft as the first step in a phased plan that will replace the carrier’s current fleet of 18 wide-bodies and expand its long-range fleet, enabling it to serve more distant markets nonstop from Hawaii.
The contracts have a total value of approximately $4.4 billion if all of the purchase rights are exercised. They pave the way for Hawaiian to lease additional A330 aircraft for introduction into its fleet as early as 2009, providing for replacement of planes whose leases expire during this time frame.
The first Airbus 350XWB-800 will join Hawaiian’s fleet in 2017. The jet will seat 322 passengers in a two-class configuration (first and coach) and have a range of 6,900 nautical miles, which will permit nonstop flights between Hawaii and Asia, Australia, the Americas and Europe.