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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Thursday, January 21, 2010

HAL's 1st Airbus nearly ready


Advertiser Staff

Hawaii news photo - The Honolulu Advertiser

Airbus workers in Toulouse, France, put finishing touches on an A330-200 jet being built for Hawaiian Airlines. The first of 27 Airbus jets Hawaiian plans to add to its fleet is to be delivered this spring to serve the Los-Angeles-Honolulu route.

Airbus photo

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Hawaiian Airlines said Airbus workers in Toulouse, France, are nearing completion on the first A330-200s to be delivered to the state's largest air carrier this spring.

The aircraft is one of 27 Airbus jets that Hawaiian plans to add to its fleet by the end of the decade, the airline said in a news release.

Hawaiian will lease the first three wide-body A330-200 planes to be added in April, May and November. The airline also signed a purchase agreement with Airbus to acquire six A330-200s starting in 2012, and six A350XWB-800 extra wide-body aircraft starting in 2017.

In addition, Hawaiian has purchase rights for an additional six jets of each model.

Hawaiian's first two A330s will serve its Los Angeles-Honolulu route starting in June.

The A330 seats 294 passengers in a two-class configuration and has an operating range of 6,050 nautical miles, or 6,962 land miles. Hawaiian said it will be able to fly nonstop to all of North America and points in eastern Asia.

Hawaiian's new A330s will arrive with an interactive, on-demand entertainment system for every passenger.

A high-resolution LCD touch- screen monitor installed in each seatback will allow customers to choose from a wide selection of movies and video programs, audio channels and video games.

Each system will include a USB port, allowing customers to connect their own media players, while first- class seats will be equipped with a larger monitor and iPod compatibility.