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Ever wondered how our airplanes get painted? You're in luck! Thad Beyer, Hawaiian’s North America heavy maintenance manager, and his colleague Robert Reuling, a heavy maintenance supervisor, walked us through the 16-day process to give our Airbus A330 aircraft a fresh paint job at a specialized maintenance facility on the U.S. Mainland.  


STEP 1. The repainting begins by stripping the fuselage and rigorously sanding the wings and tail.

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STEP 2. The aircraft is washed and cleaned of any debris or contaminants before surface treatments are applied to bare metal areas.

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STEP 3. The primer is applied first to prepare for the real deal.


STEP 4. The fuselage and wings are painted white, prior to the marathon of painting to adorn our vertical tale with the iconic Pualani.

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STEP 5. Mask off, mask on, paint, repeat! After repeating this cycle a few times, Pualani is transformed into her new vibrant self.


STEP 6. We can't forget the maile lei that wraps around the fuselage. To give the vine its silver look, special mica glitter paint is mixed and applied evenly. 

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STEP 7. This is where the fun begins! Our crews painstakingly apply what seems like over 1,000 different placards over various areas of the newly painted surfaces. We have to be very careful not to miss any spot!

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STEP 8. Nearing the grand finale, a refreshing clear coat is spread over the fuselage and tail to give the plane its shine.

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STEP 9. Inspect the aircraft's new paint job for defects, make fixes as necessary, inspect again, and correct any remaining imperfections.


STEP 10. Let Pualani dry, and then it’s time to fly!

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Painting our new aircraft livery – revealed in May 2017 as part of a company-wide rebranding – requires several hundred hours of manpower and 13 different colors. Repainting our narrow-body Boeing 717, which flies Neighbor Island routes, requires approximately 185 gallons of paint, while the wide-body Airbus A330 takes over 320 gallons.

 

Learn more about how we shared our reinvigorated brand with the world in 2017: