Summary
- Hawaiian Airlines plans to exchange its Boeing 717 fleet by late 2023 or early 2024, but no decision has been made on the alternative aircraft yet.
- Within the meantime, Hawaiian’s 717s will proceed to serve because the workhorses for the airline’s Interisland routes.
- The Boeing 717 is a rarity within the skies, as only three airlines currently operate the aircraft type.
While the 717 never became popular with airlines in the best way Boeing had hoped for, the COVID pandemic definitely didn’t help with the kind’s waning popularity amongst carriers. Whilst airlines sent their planes to storage throughout the pandemic only to bring them back, the prevailing sense is that their days are numbered. And that is precisely what Hawaiian Airlines Chief Executive Officer Peter Ingram stated earlier this week.
Looming retirement
Hawaiian Airlines CEO Peter Ingram recently spoke in regards to the airline’s plans for its Boeing 717 fleet. Ingram told that the airline will choose a alternative for its Boeing 717-200 fleet by late 2023 or early 2024.
Photo: Bam Tori/Shutterstock
The revelation was a part of a discussion about plans to exchange Hawaiian Airlines’ aging fleet of 717s. In line with Ingram,
“We’ve not made a call at this point on a alternative. We’re within the midst of some evaluation work. [The decision] will position us for moving towards the alternative of that fleet towards the latter a part of the last decade.”
Still serving
With that said, Hawaiian’s 717s aren’t going to retire anytime soon. With travel demand increasing after the pandemic, Hawaiian has upped its capability, especially on the lucrative Interisland routes.
Hawaiian operates a fleet of 19 717s starting from 19 to 25 years old, each with 128 seats in two cabins: 8 in top quality and 120 in economy class. These 717s are the airline’s workhorses, operating as much as 16 cycles every day across the Hawaiian Islands from five airports: Honolulu Daniel K. Inouye International Airport (HNL), Kahului Airport (OGG), Lihue Airport (LIH), Ellison Onizuka Kona International Airport (KOA), and Hilo International Airport (ITO).
Photo: Steve Heap | Shutterstock.
These 717s are essential to the Interisland service across the Hawaiian islands. These flights play an important role in connecting passengers and cargo between the islands. In total, upwards of 6 million passengers a 12 months travel between the islands by air; these flights are between 100 and 250 miles. Unlike the mainland United States, the Pacific Ocean separates the islands, and there isn’t any surface transportation as there aren’t any roads, bridges, or ferries traveling between the islands. In lots of respects, these 717s are the highway system of the state of Hawaii with our Interisland flights.
For the 100 to 250-mile flights, the 717 is an ideal airplane for the precise markets they serve. The airline has previously stated possible alternative options for the 717, including the Airbus A220 and Embraer E195-E2.
A rarity within the skies
The 717 was introduced in 2001 and designed by McDonnell Douglas before Boeing acquired McDonnell Douglas in 1997. It follows the road of the DC-9 family and the MD-80 family of aircraft. The Boeing 717, when McDonnell Douglas designed it, was going to be the MD-95. Only three airlines operate the aircraft type: Delta Air Lines, Hawaiian Airlines, and Qantas.
Delta is the most important operator of the aircraft type, with 66 lively examples. Qantas, under its subsidiary (National Jet Systems), operates 18 examples of the jet. That said, Qantas has announced that it is going to retire its 717 fleet by mid-2024.