Four Airlines Seek To Keep Midway Atoll ETOPS Option

Four airlines are urging the US Department of Transportation to keep Midway Atoll [MDY/PMDY] in the Northern Hawaiian Islands, as an ETOPS diversion option. Japan Airlines, ZIPAIR, WestJet Airlines, and National Airlines have approached the USDOT to keep the small airstrip open as an alternate in case of an in-flight event over the central Pacific Ocean. The cost to renovate MDY up to current standards is estimated to be $100,000,000USD. Though rarely used as an ETOPS diversion, MDY stands as an airport for ETOPS diversions if needed. MDY is included as part of the Papahānaumokuākea National Wildlife Reserve, which emcompasses the Northern Hawaiian Islands. The atoll itself, is a sanctuary for sea birds, and marine mammals such as the Hawaiian Monk Seal.

The two Japanese carriers expressed that keeping MDY open, will allow their ETOPS operation between Japan and HNL to run more efficiently. Closing MDY as an ETOPS alternate will impact hundreds of other TransPacific flights from Asia to North America, including flights to/from HNL to Japan and the Republic of Korea.

There have been several instances where airliners were forced to make preventative landings at MDY. One was in June 2011, where a Delta Air Lines 747-451 was forced to land at MDY, after it departed HNL for KIX.

Further information in this Aero South Pacific article, and an earlier article.

Upcoming 737MAX Deliveries

With airlines around Asia and Oceania ordering the 737MAX series, a majority of these airliners will stop through Hawai‘i (mainly HNL) during the first segment of their island-hopping delivery flights from Boeing Field (BFI) [map]. Boeing has indicated that the variants will be referred to as the -x without the MAX name, we will do the same.

We have our own Google Sheet that is documenting the 737 information below, as well as 737MAX series deliveries as of 2017, and is continuously updated.

Boeing P-8A Poseidons and E-7A WedgeTails on order for armed forces around the Pacific Rim will be added below when information becomes available.

This post will be continuously updated as we receive new information, and this » symbol notates the newest information per airframe.

According to the PlaneSpotters.net's 737 MAX Production List, RZ Jets 737MAX Production List, and the AirFleets 737NG/MAX Production List, these listed below are the airframes that have begun final assembly, made its first flight from RNT, or are being readied for delivery on the BFI flightline. Those listed "On Order", should make a stopover in Hawai‘i on their first segment out of BFI on their delivery flights. Those listed in the "Delivered" and "Ferried to HSN For Completion", will be listed fore the calendar month. In the past, additional information was also provided by Tyke's Aero Blog, the Boeing Test Flight Google Sheet, and The Boeing Test Flights website.

DELIVERED

9784 | B-229V | 66427 | China Southern Airlines | -8 [08.29.26 CSN5682]

9794 | VH-8VJ | 67043 | Virgin Australia | -8 "Dundee Beach" [08.31.26 VOZ9947 fr MLB to KOA]

FERRIED TO HSN FOR COMPLETION

• • • • •

ON ORDER

737MAX Series

9429 | JA030A | 63208 | All Nippon Airways (ANA Wings) | -8 « RNT

9716 | JA031A | 68209 | All Nippon Airways (ANA Wings) | -8 « RNT

9734 | VT-XPA | _____ | Air India Express | -10 | BOE734 « VCV

9747 | JA032A | 68210 | All Nippon Airways (ANA Wings) | -8 « RNT

9764 | VT-___ | _____ | Air India Express | -10 « RNT

9777 | JA033A | 68211 | All Nippon Airways (ANA Wings) | -8 « RNT

9782 | HS-VZR | 63918 | VietJet Air Thailand | -8 | BOE369 « BFI

9788 | VT-___ | _____ | Air India Express | -10 « RNT

9804 | HS-VZT | 67954 | VietJet Air Thailand | -8 | BOE371 « BFI

9806 | HL8755 | 44332 | Trinity Airways | -8 | BOE739 « BFI »

9808 | VT-___ | _____ | Air India | -10 « RNT

9810 | 9V-MCA | 44270 | Singapore Airlines | -8 « RNT

9811 | VH-8VK | 67048 | Virgin Australia | -8 « RNT

9814 | B-____ | _____ | Shanghai Airlines | -8~ | BOE492 » N248BE « BFI

9824 | HL8764 | 66776 | Eastar Jet | -8 « RNT

9826 | B-229L | 62954 | China Southern Airlines | -8 « RNT

9831 | HL8769 | 43580 | Trinity Airways | -8 | BOE735 « VCV

9833 | HS-VZU | 63878 | VietJet Air Thailand | -8 « RNT »

9836 | B-____ | 43581 | China Southern Airlines | -8 « RNT

9955 | JA035A | 68212 | All Nippon Airways (ANA Wings) | -8 « RNT

• • •

P-8A and E-7A

• • • • • 

MARKS

« Final Assembly / Pre-Flight Prep / First Flight from RNT (Location [IATA])

« Final Assembly / Pre-Flight Prep / First Flight from PAE (Location [IATA])

« Pre-Delivery Customer Acceptance Test Flights / Ready For Delivery (Location [IATA])
« Stored (Location [IATA])

« Duplicate Boeing test flight numbers

° New / Modified Livery
* Special Livery / Markings

~ Grey Tail (Only winglets and rudder painted)

» Boeing registration for ferry to HSN
» New airline and registration after re-market

« Previous airline and registration prior to re-market

« Returned to Boeing, NTU

» New / updated information

LOCATIONS [IATA]
RNT: Renton Municipal Airport, Renton, WA
BFI: King County International Airport - Boeing Field, Seattle, WA

PAE: Snohomish County Airport (Paine Field), Everett, WA

MWH: Grant County International Airport, Moses Lake, WA

VCV: Southern California Logistics Airport, Victorville, CA

NIP: Naval Air Station Jacksonville / Jacksonville Airport, Jacksonville, FL (P-8As)

GED: Delaware Coastal Airport, Georgetown, DE (BBJs)

• • • • •

NOTES

In the event that a delivery flight stops through any Hawai‘i airport other than HNL, their IATA airport code will noted after the flight number. 

Due to the order backlog for the 737MAX series, some airframes may deliver from sites other than BFI, and will be noted in the flight number information. 

If an airframe listed is sold or re-marketed to another airline, it will be noted with a » symbol, along with the new airline and registration. If an airframe was acquired from a previous airline, it will be noted with a « symbol, along with the old airline and registration. Should the airframe delivers through Hawai‘i, the information will be revised with the delivery information. If it's not making a delivery flight through Hawai‘i, that listing will not be changed to the new airline, then removed upon its delivery flight. That information will be kept on our Google Sheet.

Delivery flights that go through ANC, KEF, or any other non-Hawai‘i airport, will only be listed on our Google Sheet. Most 737s delivering to airlines in India will deliver east-bound through KEF [Keflavik International Airport, Keflavik, Iceland] as their first fuel stop. Some 737s delivering to airlines in east Asia (Japan, South Korea, Thailand, and Vietnam) deliver through ANC [Ted Stevens International Airport, Anchorage, AK] for their first fuel stop. Their information here will be deleted upon their delivery flight. In the event that those 737s delivers through Hawai‘i, they will be listed on a post, and on the annual deliveries page.

Some of the deliveries bound for China will ferry to the Boeing China 737 Completion and Delivery Center, at Putuoshan Airport, Zhoushan, China [HSN], will have its own listing above, along with a Boeing test flight number, and a temporary US Boeing registration assigned to the particular airframe. Some may have its full livery painted, and is going to HSN for cabin completion; while others may ferry as a grey tail (only the rudder and winglets painted), that will be fully painted, along with cabin configuration.
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