Daniel K. Inouye International Airport (HNL), also known as Honolulu International Airport, is changing. The Hawaiʻi Department of Transportion Airports Division will be redesignating the gates, terminals, and baggage claims at the Daniel K Inouye International Airport beginning June 1, 2018.
Ivan Nishimura reporting from Hawaii.
Delta Air Lines (Atlanta) is planning to operate the Boeing 737-900 ER (Extended Range) daily between Seattle/Tacoma and Honolulu starting on April 4 per Airline Route. The newer type will replace existing Boeing 757-200 aircraft. The carrier will use the 737 also on the Seattle/Tacoma – Kona route commencing on April 17.
Copyright Photo: Jay Selman/AirlinersGallery.com. Boeing 737-932 ER N835DN (msn 31945) departs from Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport.
Delta Air Lines aircraft slide show (current livery): 
Jin Air (JinAir.com) (Seoul) yesterday (December 19) commenced its new route from Seoul (Incheon) to Honolulu, its first route to Hawaii.
The first pictured flight arrived around 9:30 am (0930) and departed at 11:45 am (1145).
Flights LJ 601 and LJ 602 will operate five days a week from December 19 through March 26, 2016 with the pictured Boeing 777-200.
Copyright Photo: Elway Kibota/AirlinersGallery.com. The pictured Boeing 777-2B5 ER HL7743 (msn 34208) at HNL on the inaugural flight was transferred from the parent, Korean Air, on November 29, 2014.
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Jin Air aircraft slide show:
Jin Air route map:
China Southern Airlines (Guangzhou) is planning to finalize a large order with Boeing for up to 80 737 jets.
Boeing issued this statement:
Boeing is pleased that China Southern Airlines has announced a commitment to purchase 80 737s. The commitment includes a combination of 30 Next-Generation 737s and 50 737 MAX airplanes, valued at $8.38 billion at current list prices.
The order will be posted on Boeing’s Orders and Deliveries website once all contingencies are cleared.
Copyright Photo: Ivan K. Nishimura/AirlinersGallery.com. Boeing 737-81B WL B-1916 (msn 41315) taxies through Honolulu on delivery.
China Southern Airlines aircraft slide show:
Hawaiian Airlines (Honolulu) will launch a new route connecting its Honolulu hub with Tokyo (Narita) starting on July 22, 2016. The daily route will be operated with Airbus A330-200s.
Later in the day, Hawaiian made the announcement public with this statement:
Hawaiian Airlines today announced plans to begin daily nonstop service between Narita International Airport (NRT) and Honolulu International Airport (HNL) starting July 22, 2016. Hawaiian’s new Narita route will complement its existing daily service to Tokyo Haneda Airport (HND), providing two daily flight options to travelers in the Greater Tokyo region.
Starting July 22, 2016, Hawaiian’s Flight HA 821 will depart Honolulu daily at 3:30 p.m., cross the international dateline, and arrive at Narita International Airport at 7 p.m. the following day. Beginning July 23, the return Flight HA 822 will depart from Narita at 9 p.m., cross the international dateline, and arrive at Honolulu International Airport at 9:55 a.m. the same day.
Guests on Hawaiian’s Honolulu-Narita flights will enjoy comfortable legroom aboard the wide-body, twin-aisle Airbus A330-200 aircraft, which seats 294 passengers and features 18 seats in Business Class, 40 seats in Extra Comfort and 236 seats in Economy Class.
Narita will be the airline’s 11th international destination and its fourth destination in Japan. Hawaiian launched service from Honolulu to Haneda in November 2010, Osaka in July 2011 and Sapporo in October 2012.
Copyright Photo: James Helbock/AirlinersGallery.com. Airbus A330-243 N380HA (msn 1104) with the Oakland Raiders logo arrives in San Diego.
Hawaiian Airlines aircraft slide show:
Allegiant Air (Honolulu) has announced it is ending all service to Hawaii and as a result will retire the last Boeing 757-200.
The company started service to the 50th State in June 2012 from Fresno and Las Vegas and has been downsizing the number of routes to the islands. Due to rising costs, the company will exit the Hawaii market in early September 2016 when it drops the last route to Honolulu. The last 757 will exit the fleet in early 2017.
Employees in Hawaii will be relocated.
Copyright Photo: Ton Jochems/AirlinersGallery.com. Boeing 757-204 N901NV (msn 25963) lands at the Las Vegas base.
Allegiant Air aircraft slide show:
Airline aircraft type “Endangered Species List”:
Virgin America (San Francisco) yesterday (November 2) celebrated the launch of new daily nonstop flights from San Francisco International Airport (SFO) to Honolulu International Airport (HNL) with a series of festive events in San Francisco and Honolulu.
On December 3, the airline’s Hawai’i schedule grows again with daily nonstop flights from SFO to Maui’s Kahului Airport (OGG).
Virgin America will fly to Hawai’i with its newest Airbus A320 aircraft, equipped with fuel-saving ‘sharklet’ wingtip devices. Earlier this year, the airline completed the Federal Aviation Administration’s Extended Operation certification in order to operate longer range overwater flights. The first of Virgin America’s aircraft to fly to Hawai’i was named “Pineapple Express” (above) by the airline’s teammates and features a surfer girl image created by street/tattoo artist Si Scott.
Photos: Virgin America.
Virgin America aircraft slide show:
Malaysia Airlines (Malaysia Airlines Berhad-MAB) (Kuala Lumpur) will undergo a rebrand process, including a possible name change, in the first quarter of 2016 according to a report by stuff.co.nz. A rebranding strategy will be announced in December.
Read the full report: 
Copyright Photo: Ivan K. Nishimura/AirlinersGallery.com. Boeing 737-8H6 9M-MLQ (msn 39327) passes through Honolulu on delivery in the 2010 livery.
Malaysia Airlines aircraft slide show:
Hawaiian Holdings, Inc., parent of Hawaiian Airlines (Honolulu), today announced plans to acquire three ATR 72 turboprop aircraft in an all-cargo configuration to expand its interisland shipping services. The new operation will launch in the first half of 2016, starting with flights between Honolulu International Airport (HNL) and Kona International Airport (KOA), Kahului Airport (OGG), Līhuʻe Airport (LIH) and Hilo International Airport (ITO), with well-timed connections from Hawaiian Airlines’ mainland and international network.
The ATR 72 fleet can carry up to 18,000 pounds of cargo and will be able to handle five 88-by-108-feet 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 B717 flights throughout the day.
The flights will be branded ‘Ohana by Hawaiian and operated by Empire Airlines, which also operates the 48-passenger ATR 42 turboprop service (above). The livery of the aircraft will feature the same kapa tail patterns created by Hilo-based artist Sig Zane and his son Kūha’o (below).
“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 percent,” said Hadden Watt, managing director of ‘Ohana by Hawaiian. “We expect to deliver the same reliability and high-quality of service to our cargo customers for their interisland shipments.”
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.
Hawaiian Airlines was the first U.S. airline certified to ship cargo in 1942, and has provided high-quality overseas shipping and customer service to international customers, freight forwarders, carriers and many others in the industry for more than 70 years as the flagship carrier of the Pacific.
Top Copyright Photo: Ivan K. Nishimura/AirlinersGallery.com. Operated by Empire Airlines, ‘Ohana by Hawaiian-branded ATR 42-500 N804HC (msn 623) taxies at the Honolulu base.
Hawaiian aircraft slide show:
Videos:
New Gen Airways (Sabaidee Airways dba) (Bangkok-Don Mueang) has taken delivery of its first Boeing 737-800, leased from ILFC. The pictured ex-Air Jamaica/Caribbean Airlines Boeing 737-8Q8 is currently registered as N645AR (msn 30645, ex 9Y-JMA) and will become HS-NGG. The new jetliner, painted in an updated livery for the new airline, passed through Honolulu on delivery.
The new Thai airline started passenger operations in January 2014 with older Boeing 737-400s. The carrier currently has four Boeing 737-400s.
In other news, the airline announced a new scheduled route from Krabi International Airport to Nanchang, China. The new route was started on July 15. Previously New Gen operated charters on this route.
Copyright Photo: Ivan K. Nishimura/AirlinersGallery.com (all others by New Gen Airways). N645AR is seen on the ramp at Honolulu. The new airliner is named “Juthathib”.
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