Hawaiian Airlines says it’s hiring, highlighting a bit of good news in the airline industry. The Honolulu Advertiser says the carrier "has hired 100 employees in recent months and plans to add 170 more by early next year to meet the company's growth needs as it prepares for the first of its new Airbus A330-200 aircraft. Recent hires have included aircraft mechanics, service representatives, contract agents, ramp agents, maintenance and cleaning personnel. The new hires going forward will include 25 new pilots and up to 30 flight attendants, the company said. Hawaiian will take delivery of its first long range Airbus A330 next April."
"Everyone at Hawaiian has worked hard to keep our company in the enviable position of pursuing our growth strategy," Hawaiian CEO Mark Dunkerley says in a press release. The carrier says its "widebody, twin-aisle Airbus A330 aircraft will seat 294 passengers in a two-class configuration and have an operating range of 6,050 nautical miles, giving Hawaiian the ability to fly nonstop to all of North America and points in eastern Asia."
According to Dunkerley, Hawaiian has hired more than 403 former Aloha employees since last year. That figure could increase with the addition of the new Airbus jets.
Hawaiian embarked on its expansion in February 2008 when it signed a purchase agreement with Airbus of France to acquire the first of six wide-body A330-200 aircraft and six A350EWB-800 extra wide-body jets.
The airline has an option for 12 additional Airbus aircraft and has signed lease agreements for three more A330s.
The Airbus jets are larger, more fuel efficient than Hawaiian's current trans-Pacific fleet of 18 Boeing 767-300 aircraft and have a range of more than 6,000 nautical miles, allowing the company to expand its services throughout North America and Asia.
In the long-term, Hawaiian said it's considering a number of new international routes but is waiting for economic conditions to improve before making a decision on the new destinations.
The new jobs, coming at a time when many in the airline industry are downsizing, are part of a $4.4 billion, 15-year fleet makeover, in which Hawaiian aims to add as many as 27 new long-range Airbus aircraft.