Hawaiian Airlines gets tentative OK to expand to Haneda ahead of 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo

Hawaiian Airlines has received preliminary approval from the U.S. Department of Transportation for one of three slots it requested to expand service to Haneda International Airport in Tokyo.

The state’s largest carrier, which is hoping to start the additional daily route before the start of the 2020 Summer Olympic Games in Tokyo, said the allocation is contingent upon the successful conclusion of consultations by the Government of Japan with affected local governments and communities. There were 12 available Haneda slots that drew bids from U.S. carriers.

“Although we are disappointed that the tentative award does not grant our full request for three new routes, Hawaiian looks forward to the opportunity to expand its service between Tokyo Haneda and Honolulu,’’ Hawaiian President and CEO Peter Ingram said. “With this new service we will be able to better serve the needs of guests traveling between Honolulu and Haneda as well as those connecting beyond these gateway cities.”

Hawaiian has been offering daily Honolulu-Haneda service since November 2010, longer than any other U.S. airline. It added a second daily Haneda flight in December 2016 with service four days a week to Honolulu and three days a week to Kona.

Haneda is a preferred destination — yet generally more expensive — for many travelers than Narita International Airport, which is about 40 miles from the center of Tokyo. Hawaiian began daily nonstop service to Narita in July 2016.

Hawaiian also offers daily nonstop service to Osaka and flights three times a week to Sapporo. And earlier this month Hawaiian said it would restart service between Honolulu and Fukuoka with four flights a week as soon as November. Hawaiian previously operated nonstop service between the two cities from April 2012 through June 2014.

Hawaiian estimates that adding one additional flight will lead to about 31,100 more visitors and result in an annual economic impact of $80 million in sales, $25 million in earnings and more than 750 U.S. jobs.