Hawaiian Airlines, headquartered in Honolulu, has commenced its A330-300P2F (passenger to freighter) service for e-commerce giant Amazon. The service began on October 2, as confirmed in the airline’s third-quarter results.
In July, Hawaiian Airlines took delivery of the first of 10 converted freighters that will be operated for Amazon Air. Over the next 1.5 years, the airline plans to introduce all 10 aircraft. Last October, Amazon Air announced its plan to add 10 A330-300 converted freighters from lessor Altavair, which would be operated by Hawaiian Airlines. The aircraft conversion is being carried out by Elbe Flugzeugwerke (EFW), a joint venture between ST Engineering and Airbus.
The contract between Hawaiian Airlines and Amazon will extend for eight years with options for two additional three-year extensions. Hawaiian Airlines reported a 1.8 percent drop in operating revenue in the third quarter of 2023 compared to the same period in 2022, despite a 4.1 percent increase in capacity across its network. The airline cited factors such as the wildfires in Lahaina in West Maui in August and unexpected A321neo aircraft engine inspections.
Amazon has been reducing its European and North American flights after a period of rapid expansion. It also recently ended its operations with regional carrier Silver Airways, and its operations with Air Transport Services Group (ATSG) have been scaled back.
