Hawaiian Airlines (HA, Honolulu) plans to decide on a replacement for its B717-200s in late 2023 or early 2024, Chief Executive Peter Ingram told FlightGlobal.
"We are in the midst of some analysis work. [The decision] will position us for moving towards the replacement of that fleet towards the latter part of the decade," he explained.
The airline currently operates nineteen B717s and is one of only three remaining operators of the type globally, alongside Delta Air Lines and Cobham Aviation Services Australia - Airline Services, the ch-aviation fleets module shows. It recently acquired one more aircraft of the type retired by Volotea. Hawaiian deploys the B717s on its busy inter-island routes, mostly from Honolulu to Kahului, Lihue, and Kona. It operates 1,139 weekly scheduled B717 flights, according to the ch-aviation capacities module.
In 2022, Hawaiian Airlines became an investor in Regent Craft, a Boston-based start-up, seeing the 100-seat Monarch seaglider as a potential future type for its intra-island services. The Monarch is tentatively scheduled to enter into service in 2028. Ingram previously said that the airline was looking at a conventional replacement for the B717s, mainly A220s or E2s.
