CRAIG T. KOJIMA / CKOJIMA@STARADVERTISER.COM
Hawaiian Airlines is in talks with Boeing about buying the manufacturer’s 787 Dreamliners, according to a CNNMoney report.
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Hawaiian Airlines is considering making another change with its long-range aircraft.
CEO Mark Dunkerley told CNNMoney this week that the state’s largest carrier is in talks with Boeing about buying the manufacturer’s 787 Dreamliners instead of six Airbus A330-800neos that were due to begin getting delivered in 2019, according to a CNNMoney report published Friday.
Dunkerley said weak sales of the A330-800neo have made Hawaiian second-guess whether that aircraft is “the right airplane for us.” Hawaiian is the only carrier to buy the smaller of two models of the A330-800neo, according to CNNMoney. “Neo” stands for “new engine option.”
“We’re still a big believer in the (Airbus) program, but we also know that Boeing has some terrific alternatives which we’re also interested in looking at,” Dunkerley told CNNMoney.
Hawaiian is awaiting delivery of its 24th and final Airbus A330-200 this month as well as delivery of the first of 18 Airbus A321neos that will be put into service in January. The A330-200, which began arriving in 2010, has been used for service to the mainland and abroad, while the A321neos will be used for mainland service in smaller markets.
Dunkerley said the remainder of the Boeing 767s in Hawaiian’s fleet that had been used on long-range flights should be gone by the end of next year.
Hawaiian had been expected to take delivery in 2019 of the A330-800neos, which Dunkerley said have a “marginally longer range” than the A330-200s and possibly could be used to fly to Europe. If Hawaiian goes with the Dreamliner, this will be the second time it has changed the type of long-range aircraft it wanted to buy. In 2014 Airbus scrapped plans to build a smaller version of the A350 XWB that Hawaiian had ordered.