Island Air being sold to unnamed buyer

"It's business as usual," says the president of the interisland carrier, adding that no layoffs are planned

By Dave Segal

POSTED: 01:30 a.m. HST, Jan 11, 2013

~~<p>Island Air, the interisland carrier that has struggled to find its niche among rivals Hawaiian Airlines and Mesa Air Group's go!, is being sold to an undisclosed buyer.The pending sale comes at a time when Island Air is in the midst of a fleet change to larger planes and a re-branding that includes a new paint scheme on its aircraft, a new logo and an enhanced website. Island Air said the deal is expected to close within the next six to eight weeks.</p>
<p>Les Murashige, 57, who came out of retirement to be appointed Island Air's president in October, said Thursday he was bound by nondisclosure agreements and couldn't identify the buyer or the price.</p>
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Island Air, the interisland carrier that has struggled to find its niche among rivals Hawaiian Airlines and Mesa Air Group's go!, is being sold to an undisclosed buyer.The pending sale comes at a time when Island Air is in the midst of a fleet change to larger planes and a re-branding that includes a new paint scheme on its aircraft, a new logo and an enhanced website. Island Air said the deal is expected to close within the next six to eight weeks.

Les Murashige, 57, who came out of retirement to be appointed Island Air's president in October, said Thursday he was bound by nondisclosure agreements and couldn't identify the buyer or the price. Login for more...