The Greater Rockford Airport Authority [RFD/KRFD] has offered Mokulele Flight Service (dba Mokulele Airlines) an opportunity to expand their service to the northern Illinois city airport from HNL beginning in March 2012. The offer also proposes Mokulele to continue onto Stansted, London, UK [STN/EGSS] in May 2012.
Mokulele has yet to release a statement to confirm these reports. The current Mokulele fleet consists of four Cessna C208B Caravans. This would mean acquiring ETOPS-certified aircraft to fly those flights.
It has been reported locally that Mesa Airlines, parent company of go!, has a stake in this offer. But Mesa sold off its share in Mokulele, and only remains as a code-share partner in the go!Mokulele operation.
Article links from Rockford, IL: WREX, eRockford blog (Rockford Register Star), and WIFR. From Honolulu: Hawai‘i News Now.
WTF? Not only would they need an ETOPS bird but at least a 767-sized one to make it all the way from HNL-RFD. Not to mention the RFD-STN flight. I can't imagine that they would seriously consider doing this option.
ReplyDeleteThey could lease aicrafts or contract with a Charter carrier that already obtains this certification. But then again, we dont know until it happens!
ReplyDelete