Today, we bid a fond aloha to the last of our Boeing 767-300ER – the aircraft that propelled Hawaiian Airlines to far-reaching destinations, empowering us to share our authentic hospitality with millions of guests from around the world. The widebody twin-engine jet joined our fleet in 2001, replacing our DC-10s by heralding a new era of aviation engineering at the start of the 21st century.
After flying the Pacific skies for over a decade, aircraft tail number N594 – named ‘Ulili after the Wandering Tattler bird – completed its final scheduled commercial flight this afternoon when it arrived at Honolulu’s Daniel K. Inouye International Airport (HNL) from Sacramento International Airport (SMF) at 1:30 p.m. HST. Our agents welcomed the 258 guests and 10 crew members with celebratory lei as they deplaned from our historic HA19.
“The Boeing 767 was instrumental to our transpacific growth, international expansion and success in introducing millions of guests to this special place we call home,” Peter Ingram, president and CEO of Hawaiian Airlines, remarked following a Hawaiian blessing of N594 alongside the pilots and crew of HA19. “Today’s 767 retirement marks another chapter in our ongoing fleet modernization program as we continue to take more deliveries of Airbus A321neos and prepare to welcome the Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner in 2021.”
Over the years, our fleet expanded to a total of 18 Boeing 767 aircraft, which would lead to the launch of 16 new, non-stop routes throughout the Pacific region, including service between Honolulu and Sydney and Brisbane in Australia, Osaka, Tokyo and Sapporo in Japan, and Seoul in South Korea.
As Hawaiian entered new markets, its passenger count grew from 5.8 million in 2001 to 8.4 million in 2010, when the airline began introducing another wide-body aircraft type, the Airbus A330, to its fleet. Since 2016, Hawaiian has topped 11 million annual guests.
“The Boeing 767 changed the game in the medium widebody market. The airplane enabled Hawaiian to efficiently serve its unique routes and achieve impressive growth over the years,” said Randy Tinseth, vice president of commercial marketing, Boeing. “In 2021, the Boeing 787 Dreamliner brings more range and much greater fuel efficiency. It will again transform Hawaiian’s ability to efficiently and comfortably bring people to and from the beautiful islands of Hawai‘i.”
Please join us in recognizing the milestones made by the B767-300ER and a warm mahalo for over 17 years of service to our Island home.