Mokulele Airlines, which is owned by Florida-based Southern Airways, is adding a new 28-seat plane this summer to service Molokai and Lanai, according to a release.
Next month, the airline is undergoing other major changes, including moving three, nine-seat planes from Guam to Hawaii, and withdrawing a daily flight each from Kapalua, Hilo and Kona in order to reassign those aircraft and crews to Molokai and Lanai when needed.
The airline also underwent schedule changes in March, which added 12.5% more seats to Molokai, while removing some flights from the schedule. Passengers who booked flights that have now been canceled are being rebooked onto flights that are the closest to their original times.
In 2021, Mokulele Airlines became the only airline to fly from Honolulu to Molokai and Lanai after Hawaiian Airlines stopped flying to those islands. Mokulele purchased two Saab 340 planes, with 30 seats, to complement its fleet of nine-seat Cessna Grand Caravan planes. The Saab 340 is a Swedish twin-engine turboprop aircraft.
Mokulele’s newest plane, which will arrive this summer, is the third Saab 340 aircraft that will service Molokai and Lanai. This plane will fly to Lanai and Molokai during peak times and be available in unexpected situations when another aircraft is unavailable.
Just last week, one of the Saab 340 planes was damaged when a ground power unit malfunctioned during the starting of the aircraft, while the other one was undergoing an inspection. Bad weather this month also delayed or canceled many of Mokulele’s flights.
“Between the weather and the limited availability of our Saab fleet over the last week, this month has not at all been what we expected,” Keith Sisson, Chief of Staff of Mokulele Airlines, said in the news release. “We have added additional flights onto the Cessna Grand Caravan during this time, and with only a few exceptions, were able to get everyone accommodated with limited disruption.”
The three, nine-seat planes Tecnam Travellers that are being moved from Guam to Hawaii will temporarily back up Mokulele’s fleet of Cessna Grand Caravans, which are also nine-seat planes, while they are rotating through inspections and refurbishments.
“We are in the process of refurbishing our entire Hawaii fleet with new paint to prevent corrosion caused by the salt air,” Stan Little, Chairperson and CEO of Mokulele Airlines, said in the news release. “Southern’s ability to almost immediately deploy three Tecnams to use as reserve aircraft will ensure greater reliability.”
Michelle Broder Van Dyke covers the Hawaiian Islands for Spectrum News Hawaii. Email her at michelle.brodervandyke@charter.com.