Hawaiian Airlines has applied with the U.S. Department of Transportation for a daily nonstop route from Tokyo’s Haneda International Airport to Kona that would fill a void left when Japan Airlines ceased service to Hawaii island nearly two years ago.

The state’s largest carrier, which in November 2010 initiated its first-ever Japan service with daily Honolulu-Haneda flights, before that date sought from the DOT two of the four Haneda slots that were available for domestic carriers due to the airport’s expansion. But the DOT decided to spread them out regionally and gave American Airlines a slot from John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York and Delta slots from Los Angeles and Detroit.

Delta is suspending its Haneda-Detroit route on Sept. 30 and seeking permission to transfer the service from Detroit to Seattle. The DOT has invited other carriers to comment on Delta’s request and apply for the route allocation if it is reassigned.

"We’ve seen what the loss of nonstop service has done to the economy of the Big Island and we think there’s an opportunity to restore the service now," Hawaiian spokesman Keoni Wagner said Wednesday. "We’ve been talking with community leaders on the Big Island and will be reaching out for support of our application."

In its application filed Monday, Hawaiian said awarding the Detroit slot to Hawaiian would provide a valuable new entry point for Japanese-originating travelers, help promote tourism and further stimulate Hawaii’s economy. No other carrier currently flies to Hawaii island from Japan.

Hawaiian pointed out that Kona is the second-largest U.S. destination market from Tokyo without nonstop service. The airline said it would begin the Haneda-Kona service on or about March 15 with its new 294-seat Airbus A330-200 aircraft.

Japan Airlines stopped scheduled service to Kona on Oct. 29, 2010, as part of cutbacks made in conjunction with the company’s government-backed bankruptcy restructuring. The airline had offered daily flights between Tokyo’s Narita International Airport and Hawaii island since June 1996.

During that time, JAL carried more than 980,000 people on the flight. The airline also served as a carrier of Hawaii island exports, including macadamia nuts, papayas, coffee, spirulina, abalone and desalinated sea water, to the Japanese market.

Hawaii island Mayor Billy Kenoi and state officials flew to Japan earlier in 2010 to lobby unsuccessfully for Japan Airlines to keep the flight.

Earlier this year, Japan Airlines flew three full charter flights to Hawaii island, renewing hope that the flights could be a steppingstone for regularly scheduled flights returning to the island.

Since inaugurating Haneda service, Hawaiian has since added Japan nonstop flights from Honolulu to Osaka and Fukuoka, with service to Sapporo scheduled to begin Oct. 30.