HONOLULU -- Officials say Southwest Airlines has been granted a permit to operate at the Honolulu airport.

The Honolulu Star-Advertiser reports the Dallas-based carrier was issued a revocable permit this month for space at the Daniel K. Inouye International Airport.

Southwest says it still intends to sell tickets this year for flights between the mainland and Hawaii, but it's not ready to announce flight routes.

Southwest had planned to begin offering Hawaii flights by the end of this year, but officials say the launch date could be pushed to early 2019 depending on approvals from the Federal Aviation Administration.

The airline began the public application process to obtain the FAA certification late last year.