Hawaiian Airlines ends statewide ‘Ohana cargo service

Hawaiian Airlines is permanently ending its ‘Ohana by Hawaiian statewide ATR-72 freighter cargo service, operated by Idaho-based Empire Airlines, after assessing the service’s long-term viability. Hawaiian will be moving its fleet to the U.S. mainland for storage and eventual sale. Hawaiian Airlines would have faced significant costs in restarting its ‘Ohana freighter service following the service’s suspension in November, according to a company statement released yesterday. The soonest flights could have resumed was the end of 2021, according to the release. “This is a heartbreaking decision, particularly for those of us who were involved in launching the business in 2014,” said Peter Ingram, president and CEO at Hawaiian Airlines, in the release. “We took a hard look at the service and could not identify a way to restart and sustainably operate.” With inter-island cargo capacity limited due to the pandemic, shippers and freight forwarders like Los Angeles-based Dependable Hawaiian Express (DHX) are further pivoting services to accommodate the additional loss by turning to other carriers or to barge transport. “The thing about [‘Ohana by Hawaiian] is we waited for that service for forever and a day ... and then, of course, they stopped because of COVID,” Jorge Quintana, vice president of airfreight at DHX, told Air Cargo World . “So, it is kind of back to where we were before they started the services, so it’s just a shame that they are not going to reinstate it.” DHX plans to use either Aloha Air Cargo or Transair for inter-island cargo transport, said Quintana. Aloha Air Cargo offers regularly scheduled 767 and 737 freighters, six days a week from Oahu (HNL) to all five major airports in Hawaii, according to the company website. Transair and Transair Express’ all-cargo fleet of five 737s and Bombardier SD3-60-300 aircraft offer daily service from HNL to Kauai (LIH), Maui (OGG), Kona (KOA) and Hilo (ITO), with extended services to Lanai (LNY) and Molokai (MKK), according to the company website. Both carriers also offer inter-island charter service. While Hawaiian employees managed all ‘Ohana cargo operations, cargo handler Worldwide Flight Services employed a staff of 28 to provide ground handling services, according to the release. Hawaiian Airlines launched ‘Ohana by Hawaiian passenger flights in 2014 before starting scheduled ‘Ohana cargo operations in 2018. ‘Ohana freighter services were suspended in November 2020 due to a scope clause that restricted the amount of flying the airline can contract out to Empire Airlines. The decline in inter-island travels due to COVID-19 restrictions also contributed to the temporary suspension of both cargo and passenger flights, according to the release. Currently, Hawaiian Airlines continues to operate its A330 and A321 domestic and international cargo-only flights, including to Los Angeles (LAX), New York (JFK) and Narita (NRT), according to the latest cargo flight schedule.

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