Hawaiian Airlines is undergoing a significant change in its operations and business structure. Having recently finalized a merger with Alaska Airlines, the carrier has also embarked on a fleet and network development program.
Hawaiian will soon replace the Airbus A330 aircraft on its Honolulu-New York route with a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner. And just weeks before deploying the type to New York City, it received its third Dreamliner.
Third Boeing 787 arrives
Hawaiian Airlines
recently enhanced its widebody fleet with the addition of one more Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft. This will be the airline’s third Dreamliner. Registered as N782HA, the airframe is just 0.1 years old, according to Planespotters.net.
The 787 was delivered on March 26 and performed an almost 10-hour flight from Charleston International Airport (CHS) to Daniel K. Inouye International Airport (HNL). This delivery was made just weeks before the airline is supposed to swap the Airbus A330 aircraft with the Dreamliner on its flights between Honolulu and New York JFK.
Hawaiian primarily operates a fleet of Airbus planes, including 18 Airbus A321neos and 24 A330-200s, per data from ch-aviation. However, with the addition of the Dreamliners in recent years, it has diversified its fleet.
The carrier mostly uses the Dreamliners to fly to the US mainland to destinations such as Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX) and Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). While its A330s also fly to the Mainland US, they are also deployed to destinations as far as Australia and New Zealand.
To be deployed to JFK
Non-stop flights from Hawaii to the US East Coast are so long that they require widebody airplanes to complete. From Daniel K. Inouye International Airport (HNL) in Honolulu to New York John F. Kennedy International Airport
(JFK) in New York, there are two airlines that offer services – Hawaiian Airlines and Delta Air Lines.
While Hawaiian uses its Airbus A330-200 on this route, Delta uses its Boeing 767-300ER aircraft. However, a few weeks from now, Hawaiian, too, will use its Boeing 787 aircraft to fly to New York.
Photo: christopheronglv | Shutterstock
As reported earlier
, the carrier’s Dreamliner is scheduled to operate from April 22nd through August 20th, 2025 between Honolulu and New York City. The flights depart Honolulu’s Daniel K. Inouye International Airport (HNL) in the afternoon, flying overnight to arrive in New York City the following morning. The return leg from New York JFK Airport to Hawaii departs in the morning and arrives in Honolulu in the early afternoon, as per the following schedule:
Flight HA50
Departure: Honolulu – 15:35
Arrival: New York JFK – 06:55+1
Flight HA51
Departure: New York JFK – 09:05
Arrival: Honolulu – 13:55
Hawaiian’s Dreamliners can accommodate 300 passengers across two cabins. They have 34 business class seats, all with direct aisle access, and the remaining 266 seats are in the economy section, which is split between Extra Comfort and Main Cabin.
Network expansion
Along with the equipment change for the Honolulu-New York route, Hawaiian Airlines is also planning some new routes utilizing its widebody planes. The carrier recently announced that it will launch long-haul routes from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) to Seoul Incheon (ICN) and Tokyo Narita (NRT).
These flights are being marketed by the wider Alaska Air Group. Hawaiian merged with Alaska Airlines last year and there has been growing synergy between the two carriers when it comes to route and fleet planning.
Photo: Jon Tetzlaff | Shutterstock
The new service between Seattle and Seoul Incheon will begin on September 12 with the widebody Airbus A330-200 aircraft. It’s part of the larger plan to turn Seattle into the West Coast’s new premier global gateway for the Alaska Air Group. The plan is to serve at least 12 nonstop international destinations with widebody aircraft from Seattle by 2030.
According to Alaska Airlines Chief Executive Officer Ben Minicucci, the airline is also looking to expand into Europe in 2026 with flights using Hawaiian’s widebody fleet. Minicucci confirmed at the Wings Club in New York earlier this week per a report by Skift, saying, “Europe is definitely on the radar for 2026.” More on this can be found in the article below.

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