Transair Hawaii Orders A 737-400F

CH-Aviation.com reports that TransAir Hawaii has ordered a 737-400F, that will undergo freighter conversion at DHN in June. N251AU (c/n 25104, l/n 2476), a 737-4Q8, should join the Transair Hawaii sometime in September or October, after its conversion by AEI. The airliner is currently in storage at TPA. This 737-4Q8F will be their first CFM56-powered 737. 

25104's History:

May 1993: Delivered to Alaska Airlines as N771AS (f/n 771), under lease from ILFC.

Nov 1997: Sold to AWAS, and lease transferred.

Dec 2013: Withdrawn from service, returned to AWAS, and stored at GYR.

Apr 2014: Acquired by Jet Midwest.

Jan 2015: Leased to Flair Airlines as C-FLHJ (f/n 405).

Aug 2020: Returned to lessor, and stored at TPA, then sold to Automatic LLC.

DA40 Crashes Off Of Lāna‘i

A Diamond DA40 Diamond Star crashed off of Lāna‘i this afternoon after 1725HAST. Thankfully, the two aboard the light aircraft survived, and were rescued by a US Coast Guard 14th District HH-65 Dauphin from JRF. According to FlightRadar24.com, the DA-40 (owner not disclosed) flew from HNL to LNY. On the return leg, the DA40 circled offshore (see FlightRadar24 app screenshot), before it attempted to head back to LNY.

Mokulele Airlines' N852MA, flying as FDY858 (LNY-MKK) circled the area, then Kamaka Air's N347KA took up the monitoring until the Coast Guard rescue helicopter and other rescue craft arrived.

Further information in this Kathryn's Report article.

28 Feb 21 UPDATE

The DA40 was registered as N680DS (msn 40.680), owned by George's Aviation, was rented for a training flight.

Antonov Airlines' UR-82008

Antonov Airlines' An-124-100M, UR-82008 (c/n 19530501006), is making an overnight stop from CUN [Cancun, México] as ADB309F. The flight originated in BEL [Belem, Brazil], and is headed for MEL.

Alliance Airlines' N998QQ

Alliance Airlines is taking delivery of N998QQ (msn 19000098). This ERJ-190AR is making its delivery flight, flown by Southern Cross International, from SJO to BNE (via SDM, HNL and MAJ) as SXI2107. It will be registered as VH-UYO.

19000098's History:

Aug 2007: Delivered to Copa Airlines as HP-1563CMP.

Jan 2010: Leased to Aero Republica.

Oct 2010: Leased to Copa Airlines Colombia.

Jly 2019: Returned to Copa Airlines, and flew until Mar 2020.

Nov 2020: Bought by TVPX Trust Services

Feb 2021: Delivering to Alliance Airlines.

Antonov Airlines' UR-82029

Antonov Airlines' An-124-100, UR-82029 (c/n 19530502630, l/n 02-10), is making an overnight stop at HNL as ADB308F from SWF. It will continue onto MEL tomorrow.

N569TM

N569TM (c/n 28569, l/n 2996), a white tail 737-36NF, is making its ferry flight from TPA [Tampa, FL] to HLP [Halim Perdanakusuma International Airport, Jakarta, Indonesia], via MCC, HNL, MAJ, and BIK. Jet Test is ferrying the 737 as JTN5. It will join the fleet of Tri-M.G. Intra Asia Airlines [GM/TMG] of Indonesia, an all 737-300F cargo airline as PK-MGA "Ainun.

28569’s history

Feb 1998: delivered to Air France as F-GFRC, leased from GECAS.

Apr 2003: GECAS leased to Ukraine International Airlines as UR-GAN.

Jan 2015: GECAS leased to Alas Uruguay as CX-OAA.

Feb 2017: Sold to Aergo Capital, and leased to Latin America Wings (LAW) as CC-AVL.

Sep 2018: Aergo leased to Star Air Cargo as ZS-TIW.

Oct 2020: Bought by Bank of Utah, and converted to a freighter as N569TM.

Asia Pacific Airlines’ N922TS

Asia Pacific Airlines’ fourth 757-200F is making its delivery flight from MCI to GUM (via HNL and MAJ). N922TS (c/n 24825, l/n 300), a 757-260PF, is making the MCI-HNL segment using its registration, and the HNL-MAJ-GUM segments as a revenue flight, MGE302.

The former N754CS was ferried from MIA to MCI for final prep work, and received its present registration there as well.

OE-IGV

Avolon Leasing is ferrying OE-IGV (msn 3457) from KUL to TUS, via GUM and HNL. This white tail A320-214 is making an overnight stop at HNL tonight.

3457’s history

Apr 2008: Originally delivered to IndiGo as VT-INS, under lease from Allco Aviation.

Jan 2011: It was sold to HKAC, and the lease transferred.

Jan 2016: Avolon acquired this A320, and transferred the lease, and was withdrawn from service in Feb 2020, and stored at KUL.

United Airlines Announces New Hawai‘i Routes

This morning, United Airlines announced new services from the mainland to the Hawaiian Islands that will begin later this year. 

For HNL, United will launch daily 737-724 service from SNA on May 6th. This will be the airline's eighth mainland gateway. The last service between SNA and HNL was with Aloha Airlines, that operated from 2000 to March 2008, when the airline shutdown.

For OGG, United will launch four-times-weekly 767-300ER service from EWR on June 3rd. EWR will be United's fifth gateway to serve Kahului.

For KOA, United will launch four-times-weekly 787-8 service from ORD, also beginning on June 3rd. ORD is fourth gateway to serve Kona.

Further information is in this United Airlines press release.

Allegiant Airlines’ RP-C3262

Allegiant Airlines is taking delivery of their latest A320-214, RP-C3262 (msn 4537), and is making an overnight stop at HNL tonight. Its delivery flight route is from CAN to SJO, via MNL, GUM, HNL, and ONT. It will be re-registered as N288NV.

4537’s history

Dec 2010: Originally delivered to Cebu Pacific Air in December 2010. 

Mid-2015: Painted into their current livery.

Nov 2017: Sold to Arena Aviation Capital, and leased back, then withdrawn from service in Sep 2020 and stored at CAN.

Dec 2020: Acquired by Allegiant Airlines.

C-GKSN

C-GKSN (msn 493), a DHC-6-300 Twin Otter owned by Beau Del Leasing of Calgary, AB, Canada, is making a delivery flight from YBW [Springbank Airport, Calgary, AB, Canada] to CGK, via BOI, SMX, HNL, MAJ, and BIK. It's not known who the new lessee will be.

Twin Otter World has a complete history of C-GKSN.

Solomon Airlines' N805RT

Solomon Airlines is taking delivery of N805RT (msn 470). This DHC-6-300 Twin Otter is flying from F70 [French Valley Airport, Murieta, CA] to HIR [Honaira International Airport, Solomon Islands], via SMX, HNL and MAJ. It's owned by Ikhana Aircraft Holdings of Murieta, CA, and has a decal on the nose of this "Twotter".

Twin Otter World has the complete history of MSN 470.

Southwest Airlines To Add LGB-OGG Service

With the addition of slots at the Long Beach Airport allotted to Southwest Airlines, the airline announced six more routes from LGB, one of which is OGG, that begins on March 11th.

Previously, Southwest announced that HNL was in the initial destinations from LGB. The Dallas-based carrier will compete against Hawaiian Airlines at Long Beach.

Further information in this Southwest Airlines press release.

Nauru Airlines' VH-YNU

Nauru Airlines is ferrying another 737-300, VH-YNU (c/n 25607, l/n 3127) from BNE to MIA, via INU, HNL and VNY, for freighter conversion. This 737-319, making an overnight stop at HNL, will spend a few months at MIA before returning to the Nauru Airlines fleet.

25067’s history

Oct 1999: Originally delivered to Air New Zealand as ZK-NGH, and flew until Nov 2014.

Dec 2014: Acquired by Nauru Airlines as VH-YNU.

‘Ohana by Hawaiian Suspends Operations

With the US Department of Transportation's decision to award the non-funded Essential Air Service (EAS) contract to Mokulele Airlines for MKK and LNY, Hawaiian Airlines has suspended operations of its ‘Ohana by Hawaiian subsidiary as of today. Both Empire Airlines (who handles the ATR42 and ATR72 operations) and Hawaiian Airlines will keep a minimal staff on-hand to maintain the fleet as it sits in storage at HNL.

Further details in this CH-Aviation.com report.

Alliance Airlines' N932QQ

Alliance Airlines is taking delivery of their third ERJ-190AR, N932QQ (msn 190000212). It's making its delivery flight from SJO to BNE, via SDM, HNL, and MAJ, as SXI2101. N932QQ is making its stop at HNL from SDM tonight, and continue onto MAJ tomorrow morning. It will receive its Australian registration, VH-UYY, after it completes its delivery flight.

19000212’s history

Oct 2008: Originally delivered to Copa Airlines as HP-1568CMP, and flew to March 2020.

Nov 2020: Sold to TVPX as N932QQ, then sold to Alliance Airlines.

Sriwijaya Air's PK-CLC Crash

Sriwijaya Air's 737-524, PK-CLC "Citra" (c/n 27323, l/n 2616), crashed several minutes after takeoff from CGK. The 737, flying as SJY182 [CGK-PNK], plunged from over 10,000' to the ocean. All 62 souls aboard perished in the crash.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to the families of the lost.

Further information in this World Airline News coverage.

PK-CLC was a 26-year-old originally delivered to Continental Airlines as N27610. In April 2012, N27610 ferried through HNL on its way to CGK to join the Sriwijaya fleet.

HNL RareBirds 15th Anniversary

Hau‘oli Makahiki Hou! Happy New Year!

HNLRareBirds.com is celebrating its 15th anniversary in 2021! Above is our commemorative logo that will appear in the lower right corner of our 2021 photos.

Sriwijaya Air's PK-CMF

Sriwijaya Ảir is ferrying PK-CMF "Kemurnian" (c/n 32885, l/n 1147) from CGK to MZJ, via GUM and HNL. This 737-86Q is being ferried by Jet Test as JTN347.

32885 was originally purchased by Bouillion Air Services, then leased to Hainan Airlines in June 2002 as B-2675. It was sold to Aviation Capital Group in June 2005, transferred, and painted in the 2007 livery. B-2675 was returned to ACG in August 2014. Three months later, it leased to Sriwijaya Air as PK-CMF. from March 2017 to March 2019, it was a logojet for MXGP of Indonesia.

Nauru Airlines' N732NA

Nauru Airlines 737-3U3, N732NA (c/n 28732, l/n 2966), is returning from MIA after it underwent freighter conversion. It stopped through HNL as VH-ONU, and will receive the same registration when it returns to Nauru. It made a stop at VNY before arriving at HNL, and will continue onto INU and BNE. This 737-300 is scheduled to ferry back as a freighter some time in May.