< Reveal sidebar

Alaska Bets on 787s for Long-Haul Routes

The aircraft will eventually replace the A330s on long-haul international routes.

A Hawaiian Boeing 787 Dreamliner (Photo: Hawaiian Airlines)

Alaska plans to stretch the Hawaiian Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner fleet in the coming years as it adds more long-haul destinations. With just two 787s in its fleet so far, the aircraft will fly its longest route to date from Honolulu to New York-JFK in April.

Since the fleet’s introduction nearly a year ago, Hawaiian has deployed the 787s on West Coast routes, including Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Phoenix. With the $1.9 billion acquisition now complete, Alaska says it will “better utilize” the Hawaiian fleet.

2025 Fleet Growth

The now-merged airlines plan to expand their widebody fleet in 2025, despite ongoing delivery delays at Boeing. During a Thursday earnings call, airline leadership said it expects to take delivery of three 787s this year for a total of five.

“We expect flat growth across our Alaska assets given assumed delivery timing and retirement of our oldest 737-900 aircraft and expect a material increase in Hawaiian asset utilization particularly within the A321 fleet,” Alaska Air Group finance chief Shane Tackett said.

Hawaiian initially expected to have three 787s by the end of 2024.

A visual mock-up image of Hawaiian’s first 787-9 (Photo: Hawaiian Air)

Network Expansion

Hawaiian’s long-haul workhorse — the Airbus A330-200 — operate the majority of the carrier’s routes connecting the Mainland and Hawaii along with Oceania and Asian markets. The carrier has just over 30 A330s in its fleet.

Last year, Alaska shared plans to shift some of the A330s from Hawaii to its Seattle hub, operating the carrier’s first long-haul international routes to Seoul and Tokyo Narita. Hawaiian’s A330s will also operate some flights between Seattle and Anchorage during the peak summer season.

By 2030, the carrier says it will offer service to 12 long-haul international destinations from Seattle. While these routes will launch with the A330s, company leadership said, the plan is to utilize the 787s for long-haul service.

“Eventually, we’ll be moving to 787s in the full year,” said Andrew Harrison, Alaska’s chief commercial officer, during the call.

Alaska now has an orderbook that includes 10 more 787s. Hawaiian first ordered the Dreamliner in 2018.

 

Ryan Ewing
Follow Ryan
Latest posts by Ryan Ewing (see all)

Author

  • Ryan Ewing

    Ryan founded AirlineGeeks.com back in February 2013 and has amassed considerable experience in the aviation sector. His work has been featured in several publications and news outlets, including CNN, WJLA, CNET, and Business Insider. During his time in the industry, he's worked in roles pertaining to airport/airline operations while holding a B.S. in Air Transportation Management from Arizona State University along with an MBA. Ryan has experience in several facets of the industry from behind the yoke of a Cessna 172 to interviewing airline industry executives. Ryan works for AirlineGeeks' owner FLYING Media, spearheading coverage in the commercial aviation space.

    View all posts

Subscribe to AirlineGeeks' Daily Check-In

Receive a daily dose of the airline industry's top stories along with market insights right in your inbox.

Related Stories

United ‘More Bullish’ on 737 MAX 10

United leadership is still betting on the 737 MAX 10 despite ongoing delivery delays at Boeing. The aircraft – which…

All-Airbus Airline Pivots to 737

Eurowings plans to add Boeing 737 MAX jets in its largest-ever fleet expansion. The carrier – which is part of…

BermudAir E175

BermudAir Grows Fleet With Larger Jets

Start-up BermudAir plans to bolster its fleet with larger aircraft. With this expansion, the airline expects to unlock new network…