Hawaiian Airlines announced Friday it received its first Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner, which came from North Charleston, South Carolina. 

What You Need To Know

  • Hawaiian Airlines plans to start using the Boeing 787-9 for flights between Honolulu and San Francisco on April 15

  • Next month, another Boeing 787-9 will be delivered to Hawaiian Airlines

  • Together, the aircraft will operate Hawaiian’s Honolulu-Los Angeles service, starting May 15, and Honolulu-Phoenix flights, starting May 16

  • The airline will receive a third Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner by the end of the year and the remaining nine aircraft through 2027

"This day has been a long time coming — in fact, today marks almost six years to the date when we first announced our investment in the 787-9 as the new flagship fleet for our company," said Peter Ingram, president and CEO of Hawaiian Airlines, in a news release. 

Hawaiian Airlines expected to receive the first of 12 Boeing 787-9 in January, when it made its announcement about the new aircraft last year. 

"Mahalo to Boeing for working collaboratively with us as we adjusted the delivery schedule and to our entire 787-9 team for managing our project and getting our first aircraft to its new home here in Honolulu."

The announcement did not specify what led to the delay in delivery of the aircraft. 

Boeing is currently under scrutiny after a January incident in which a door plug blew off a Boeing 737-MAX 9 aircraft mid-flight. On Wednesday, Boeing announced it had removed the executive in charge of its 737 MAX program. While Hawaiian Airlines is undergoing changes following a Dec. 2023 announcement that Alaska Airlines would acquire Hawaiian. The airlines must still receive approval from U.S. regulators for the deal to go through. 

Hawaiian Airlines plans to start using the Boeing 787-9 for flights between Honolulu and San Francisco on April 15. Next month, another Boeing 787-9 will be delivered to Hawaiian Airlines. Together, the aircraft will operate Hawaiian’s Honolulu-Los Angeles service, starting May 15, and Honolulu-Phoenix flights, starting May 16. The airline will receive a third Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner by the end of the year and the remaining nine aircraft through 2027.

The 300-seat aircraft features 34 suites with lie-flat seating, an 18-inch in-flight entertainment screen, personal power outlets, wireless cellphone charging and direct aisle access. The suites have doors for privacy and can be combined into double suites for couples. 

The other 266 seats were designed with Adient Aerospace and are light-weight, featuring contoured back and armrests and increased shoulder and hip room. They also feature a 12-inch seatback monitor with USB-A and USB-C charging ports.  

Hawaiian Airlines worked with design consultant Teague to incorporate elements that honor the Polynesian navigators who sailed the Pacific. Other Hawaii elements include wall panels depicting native wood grains and a lavatory floor that is inspired by black volcanic sand. Hawaiian language is integrated into seat row numbers and other placards. 

"You can tell right away when you first step on the aircraft that a lot of thought went into it; elements of Hawaii are evident in all corners of the plane," said Charlie Morris, an Airbus A330 first officer at Hawaiian Airlines who will soon transition to flying the 787-9s. 

Michelle Broder Van Dyke covers the Hawaiian Islands for Spectrum News Hawaii. Email her at michelle.brodervandyke@charter.com.

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