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Hawaiian Airlines adding to fleet

Published: January 7, 2013 Comment on this article

HONOLULU (AP) — Hawaiian Airlines is planning to add 16 smaller aircraft to its fleet.

The airline announced Monday that it has signed an agreement to acquire 16 long-range, single-aisle A321neo aircraft between 2017 and 2020. It says the smaller aircraft will open up new markets closed to its wider-body fleet and enable it to augment service on existing routes to the West Coast.

The new planes — worth about $2.8 billion — are 146-feet-long, seat about 190 passengers and have a range of 3,650 miles.

Hawaiian Airlines says the acquisition is contingent on the airline reaching agreements with its pilot and flight attendant unions to operate the aircraft. It says expanding the Hawaiian Airlines fleet will generate about 1,000 jobs with the airline. Hawaiian currently operates a fleet of 43 aircraft.