Hawaiian buys
two used jets

The DC-9-50s will be placed
into interisland service

Star-Bulletin staff

Hawaiian Airlines Inc. today said it has purchased two used DC-9-50s to augment its fleet of interisland aircraft.

The airline said the two jets will arrive in February, allowing it to accommodate increased demand for interisland flights and giving it more flexibility in scheduling service. The jets previously were used by Italian airline Meridiana.

In its statement announcing the purchase, Hawaiian didn't say how much it was paying or how old the aircraft are. Airline officials could not be reached this morning for comment.

Paul J. Casey, the airline's CEO, said in the statement that the additional jets will help with increased traffic to the neighbor islands. Demand is up because of people seeking connecting flights from Hawaiian's trans-Pacific flights and from flights operated by American and Northwest airlines, Hawaiian's code-sharing partners, Casey said.

Hawaiian currently has 13 DC-9-50s that are used for interisland service. It flies larger DC-10s on mainland and Pacific routes. The company recently announced that it was buying two used DC-10s to help launch new mainland service. Hawaiian also has said it intends to replace its aging DC-9 jets, probably with used DC-9s that have shorter service records.