Hawaiian Airlines launching nonstop Kona-Tokyo flights Dec 20

Honolulu-based Hawaiian Airlines recently announced it will be launching new nonstop flights services between Tokyo’s Haneda International Airport and Big Island’s Kona International Airport starting from December 20, 2016. The flights between the two destinations would be operated thrice weekly. Media reports also said that the airline would also be launching additional four-time weekly flights between Tokyo Haneda and Honolulu starting from December 21 this year. The airline has already been operating daily flights on Tokyo Haneda-Honolulu route since November 2010.

Hawaiian Airlines has said it will be deploying a widebody Airbus A330-200 aircraft, configured with a carrying capacity of a total of 294 passengers, to operate flights services on both Kona-Tokyo Haneda and Honolulu-Tokyo Haneda routes. Apart from Honolulu-Tokyo Haneda service, Hawaiian Airlines is also conducting flights services to Japanese cities of Sapporo and Osaka. The airline is also scheduled to launch flights services to its fourth destination in Japan with daily nonstop flights between Honolulu and Tokyo Narita Airport being started from July 22, 2016.

Mark Dunkerley, President and CEO of Hawaiian Airlines, said, “The company is delighted to announce that Hawaiian Airlines has so far carried about one million visitors to Honolulu ever since the launch of its first daily service to Tokyo Haneda six years ago. We consider Japan to be the largest international market of Hawaii Islands. Japanese travelers have therefore made Hawaiian Airlines as their preferred carrier when it comes to visiting the picturesque Hawaiian Islands. The company is now even more excited by offering additional choices with et another flight option from Tokyo Haneda. Not only this, Japanese travelers can keep themselves always connected to the beautiful Hawaii Islands with new nonstop flights to Kona and also new nonstop daily flights from Tokyo Narita as well.”

Meanwhile, the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) is still to decide on the five remaining daytime slots at Tokyo Haneda. Four U.S. carriers, including Hawaiian Airlines, have submitted applications to the DOT seeking approval. Hawaiian Airlines want its existing daily Tokyo Haneda-Honolulu service to be approved.