Hawaiian Airlines buys 10 Boeing 787-9 jets
Hawaiian Airlines announced today that the airline has chosen the 787 Dreamliner to fuel its expansion. As part of the selection, Hawaiian intends to purchase 10 787-9 jets valued at $2.82 billion at list prices. Hawaiian also has purchase rights for 10 additional 787s.
Hawaiian Airlines originally had ordered six of Airbus’s A330-800 model before canceling that deal and considering the Boeing 787 and the Airbus A330-900. Hawaiian expects the deliveries of the Boeing Dreamliner to start in 2021.
The order comes at the end of an aggressive and highly contentious sales between Airbus and Boeing. Although small in scale relative to the orders coming from Asia and the Middle East, the Hawaiian order marks a significant victory for Boeing.
Even though Hawaiian flies Boeing 717-200s on routes within the Island, its long-haul fleet is dominated by Airbus. This includes Hawaiian flagship fleet of 24 Airbus A330-200 and an incoming fleet of 16 Airbus A321neos. At the same time, Hawaiian had been expediting the retirement of its Boeing 767-300ER fleet and replacing them with new Airbus aircraft.
Hawaiian and Boeing also agreed to an option for 10 additional 787s, which could push the value of the 20-plane deal past the $5.5 billion. However, it should be noted that it is customary for highly sought after airline customers receive heavy discounts from manufacturers, sometimes at a rate of more than 50%.
The Honolulu-based airline is expected to receive the first of its Dreamliners during the first quarter of 2021.
Hawaiian Airlines is Hawaii's biggest airline, operating more than 200 flights daily. Hawaiian offers non-stop service to Hawaii from more U.S. gateway cities (11) than any other airline, along with service from American Samoa, Australia, China, Japan, New Zealand, South Korea and Tahiti.