Hawaiian Airlines is seeking to expand its network in the important Japanese market with a return to the southern city of Fukuoka.
The announcement comes as competitor Delta Air Lines has pulled off the route and former Hawaiian partner All Nippon Airways is about to start Airbus A380 services between Tokyo and Honolulu from May 24.
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The US carrier wants to operate four weekly flights between Fukuoka Airport (FUK) on the island of Kyushu and Honolulu’s Daniel K. Inouye International Airport (HNL) on O‘ahu.
However, the airline says it needs to secure slots at Fukuoka that enable a commercially viable schedule as well as additional approvals from the US and Japanese governments.
It operated between Fukuoka and Honolulu from April 2012 to June 2014 and the new service would complement a Japan network that includes non-stop service connecting the Hawaiian Islands with both Haneda and Narita in Tokyo, as well as Osaka and Sapporo.
Fukuoka is on the most southerly of Japan's four main islands, Kyushu, and the prefecture boasts a population of about 5 million.
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“We are eager to bring travelers in Fukuoka and throughout Kyushu our warm Hawaiian hospitality along with the convenience of non-stop flights to Hawai‘i,” Theo Panagiotoulias, senior vice president for global sales and alliances at Hawaiian Airlines, said in a statement.
Fukuoka Prefecture and Hawaii have been sister states since 1981 and Fukuoka Prefecture government official Masanori Hashimoto said the two had been establishing exchanges in areas such as tourism, culture and the economy.
“We are excited that the discontinuation of service to Hawai‘i this month will be short-lived,’’ he said. “Hawaiian’s new service will ensure that our Hawai‘i exchange relationship and opportunities to travel abroad will be unaffected.”
The airline plans to serve the route using Airbus A330 aircraft featuring 18 lie-flat premium cabin leather seats arranged in a 2-2-2 configuration, 68 extra comfort seats with more legroom and enhanced amenities and 192 standard economy seats.
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