Hawaiian Airlines has unveiled plans to acquire three ATR 72 turboprop aircraft in an all-cargo configuration as it looks to expand its inter-island freight operations.
The planes, to be acquired by the airline’s parent Hawaiian Holdings, will arrive next year and will be used on flights between Honolulu International Airport and Kona International Airport; Kahului Airport, Līhuʻe Airport and Hilo International Airport.
The flights will be branded 'Ohana by Hawaiian and operated by Empire Airlines, which also operates a 48-passenger ATR 42 turboprop service.
Hawaiian said the ATR 72 fleet can carry up to 18,000 pounds of cargo and will be able to handle five 88-by-108-inch aircraft pallets or up to seven LD3 containers, skidded cargo and oversized shipments.
Express services for smaller shipments will also be available on its 160 daily Boeing 717 flights throughout the day.
Hawaiian's vice president of cargo sales and services Tim Strauss said: “Our ability to handle inter-island containerised and palletised cargo will provide greater flexibility for our customers seeking seamless connections from our long-haul flights, and it will help grow our business on both our wide-body and B717 services.”
'Ohana managing director Hadden Watt added: "Since launching the 'Ohana by Hawaiian passenger operation in March 2014, we have established a track record of providing a reliable and efficient service for travel within the islands with an on-time arrival rate of 94%.
"We expect to deliver the same reliability and high-quality of service to our cargo customers for their inter-island shipments."
The airline said the new cargo operation will create more than 100 new Hawai'i-based jobs in various areas of air transportation including pilots, mechanics, ground handlers, sales, customer service and management positions.
The airline has increased its cargo business by more than 40% over the last three years. It operates a fleet of 20 Airbus A330-200 and 10 Boeing 767-300 aircraft for long-range services throughout the Pacific, and 18 Boeing 717 and 3 ATR-42 for flights within the state of Hawaii.
