RNZAF Seeks 757 Replacement

CH-Aviation.com reports that the New Zealand Ministry of Defence has tendered a request for proposal to replace its two Royal New Zealand Air Force 757-2K2Cs, NZ7571 (c/n 26633, l/n 519) and NZ7572 (c/n 26634, l/n 545), as they both are over 31 years old. The RNZAF is looking at the 737-8 or the A321-200N, with available, off-the-shelf models.

Both RNZAF 757s are frequent visitors to HNL, and can be seen parked around the south ramp during their visits.

737MAXs Hinted As Hawaiian Airlines' 717-200 Replacement

During the acquisition presentation between Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines, it was noted on page 18, that the Alaska 737s, would be the prime candidate to replace the Hawaiian Airlines 717-200 fleet when that time comes. Alaska has several 737-8s have on order with Boeing, with a total of 85 MAX series on order.

Further analysis in this CH-Aviation report. The yet-to-be-certified 737-7 was also mentioned as a possible replacement, though the -7 has not been mentioned in Alaska's and Boeing's order book.

This past August, Hawaiian Airlines, prior to the acquisition, noted four types that were candidates to replace the 717-200 fleet. We did a comparison and analysis of the four types to see which would be the best fit. With the acquisition by Alaska Airlines, it seems like to be a moot point.

COMPARISON

The two big questions for the 737MAX as a 717 replacement are, will any of these candidates be able to handle the rigorous schedule that the 717-200s currently maintain, and will Hawaiian have to make adjustments to work with the LEAP-1B cool down times? With the multitude of inter-island flights, will they be able to accommodate available belly space that Hawaiian uses for a lot of their inter-island cargo operations? 

717-200: RR BR715 | 128 seats | 1,430nm range | 935 cu ft cargo

to

737-7: CFM LEAP-1B | 138-153 seats | 3,800nm range | 1,139 cu ft cargo

737-8: CFM LEAP-1B | 178 seats | 3,400nm range | 1,540 cu ft cargo

ANALYSIS

Engines: Both 737MAX variants use the CFM LEAP-1B series.

Seats: Both 737MAX variants offer more seating. At 138 seats, the 737-7 adds 10 more seats, especially with Hawaiian's two-class layout. With the 737-8's 178 seats, it could also allow inter-island flight schedules to be consolidated.

Range: Both 737MAX variants offer ETOPS capability to Hawaiian's west coast destinations they choose to fly from any of the islands.

Cargo Volume: Both 737MAX variants offer more cargo belly space.

The 737-7 comes closest to the 717-200, but it's has not been decided by Alaska Airlines to add this variant to their order book.

Hawaiian Airlines Deciding On B712 Replacement

Flight Global reports that Hawaiian Airlines will have a decision regarding the replacement of their 717-200 fleet. The decision should come between the 4th Quarter of this year, and the 1st Quarter of the next. However, the actual replacement won't happen until the latter part of the decade. What could be replacement airliners? According to Hawaiian Airlines CEO Peter Ingram, he states in the article that the A319neo, both A220 variants, and the ERJ195-E2 are on the table. Interestingly, there was no mention of the 737MAX series.

COMPARISON

B717-200: RR BR715 | 128 seats | 1,430nm range | 935 cu ft cargo

to

A319-171N: PW1100G | 140-160 seats | 3,750nm range | 950 cu ft cargo

A220-100  : PW1500G | 100-120 seats | 3,450nm range | 840 cu ft cargo

A220-300  : PW1500G | 120-150 seats | 3,600nm range | 1,120 cu ft cargo

ERJ-195-E2: PW1900G | 120-132 seats | 2,665nm range | --

ANALYSIS

The two big questions are, will any of these candidates be able to handle the rigorous schedule that the 717-200s currently maintain, and will Hawaiian have to make adjustments to work with the GTF cool down times? And with the multitude of inter-island flights, will they be able to accommodate available belly space that Hawaiian uses for a lot of their inter-island cargo operations? 

Engines: All three candidates use the Pratt & Whitney Geared Turbofan (GTF), though the A319N has the same variant, PW1100G, that are on the current A321Ns The A319N does have the option for the CFM LEAP-1X series engines, but it's highly unlikely Hawaiian would choose this option for this type, as it would incur additional maintenance training.

Seats: All three candidates will need to have two-class seating. The A319N will offer more seats, while the A220-300 and E195-E2 will barely break even, and the A220-100 will offer less seats.

Range: The A319N offers a 2,300nm gain, the A220-100 has 2,000nm gain, the A220-300 has a 2,100nm gain, and the E195-E2 has a 1,200nm gain.

Cargo Volume: The A319N has slightly more volume, but the A220-300 has over 150 cu ft more belly space, while the A220-100 has considerably less. No data was available for the E195-E2.

Each will provide at least another 1,000 miles in additional range, that could make it an ideal aircraft for Hawaiian to expand into secondary markets on the west coast, or more service to the west coast from the Neighbor Island airports. The flight deck of an A319neo is similar to the A321neo that Hawaiian already has, and can reduce pilot training time. Based on the data, The A220-300 and the A319N appear to be the front-runners.  It will be interesting to see which aircraft Hawaiian will select to replace the 717 when they make their selection.