Alaska and Hawaiian Air Cargo help Mahi Pono scale expansion with first-ever air shipments of Maui limes
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Summary
Alaska and Hawaiian Air Cargo worked closely with agricultural company Mahi Pono to create a custom shipping solution to carry limes to its customers.
Each week, more than 80,000 pounds of Maui limes fly in the bellies of Hawaiian Airlines widebody jets from Kahului to Seattle then on to Canada — bringing fresh Island-grown fruit to North American markets and nourishing the agriculture economy in the state of Hawai‘i.
Hawaiian Airlines’ Airbus A330 widebody aircraft can carry up to 278 guests and their luggage across the Pacific. But that isn’t all they carry. While many people think of Hawaiian Airlines as only a passenger airline, cargo is an essential part of the business, serving as a core component of the company’s Alaska Accelerate strategic plan, with cargo set to deliver $150 million of new annual profit.
What kind of cargo does the airline ship? Lately: a lot of limes.
Flying limes for Mahi Pono
Each week, more than 80,000 pounds of Maui limes fly in the bellies of Hawaiian Airlines widebody jets from Kahului (OGG) to Seattle (SEA) and then travel by truck to Canada — bringing fresh Island-grown fruit to restaurant and grocery store customers across the country, while nourishing the agriculture economy in the state of Hawai‘i.
About 2 million pounds of limes grown by agricultural company Mahi Pono have been carried on the OGG-SEA route since February, when the first-ever air shipments of limes from Hawai‘i started. These regular air cargo flights allow the fruit to reach markets in just 3 days, rather than up to two weeks when shipped by sea, delivering fresher and greener limes.
(Photo courtesy of Mahi Pono)
Air freight provides a significant advantage because the fruit gets to market faster, preserving more shelf life for customers.”
Island grown and growing
Mahi Pono has grown limes on Maui since 2019, when it began transforming more than 41,000 acres of abandoned sugarcane land to cultivate diverse crops to feed communities across the state. They now have more than 3 million lime and other fruit trees, and Mahi Pono-grown citrus, watermelon and other products are sold under the Maui Harvest brand at stores like Foodland and Whole Foods within Hawai‘i.
“Anything we can do to strengthen food security and reduce reliance on imports, we’re all for,” Hayes said.
Mahi Pono lime fields on Maui.
(Photo courtesy of Mahi Pono)
Logistics and limes
Alaska and Hawaiian Air Cargo teams worked closely with Mahi Pono for more than a year to solve the logistics puzzle of efficiently transporting the limes. The teams navigated U.S. Department of Agriculture and Transportation Security Administration requirements, and cargo teams developed new security inspection methods on Maui.
“We’ve had a great partnership locally, and I can’t talk enough about them,” Hayes said. “Without the diligence, resilience, and aloha from the teams at OGG and SEA this would not have been possible.”
Growth on the horizon
Mahi Pono is still growing. The company hopes to increase the size of its lime shipments later this year and has its sights set on shipping produce to other West Coast markets. In coming years, Mahi Pono hopes to double or triple its 300-person Maui workforce.
“It is our kuleana (responsibility) to cultivate higher-paying career opportunities, and my hope is that doing so will help address the high cost of living so more local families can stay in Hawai’i and build their future here,” Hayes said.
This partnership is a proud moment for our team, and it’s also good for the community, Maui and the state of Hawai‘i. We look forward to serving Mahi Pono with mālama, trust and aloha.”
Supporting our communities
In addition to working with newer customers such as Mahi Pono, the company’s air cargo business continues to represent a vital link to the communities served by Alaska and Hawaiian, transporting time-sensitive goods that communities need, including medicine, household supplies and groceries. In 2025, Alaska and Hawaiian carried more than 157,000 tons of cargo to, from and within Hawai‘i and Alaska.
Learn how the airline is investing in its cargo service in the states of Alaska and Hawai‘i.
About Alaska, Hawaiian and Horizon
Alaska Airlines, Hawaiian Airlines and Horizon Air are subsidiaries of Alaska Air Group, and McGee Air Services is a subsidiary of Alaska Airlines. We are a global airline with hubs in Seattle, Honolulu, Portland, Anchorage, Los Angeles, San Diego and San Francisco. We deliver remarkable care as we fly our guests to more than 140 destinations throughout North America, Latin America, Asia, the Pacific and Europe. Guests can book travel at alaskaair.com and hawaiianair.com. Alaska and Hawaiian are members of the oneworld© alliance. Members of our Atmos™ Rewards loyalty program can earn and redeem points with oneworld airlines and our additional global partners that serve over 1,100 worldwide destinations. Learn more about what’s happening at Alaska and Hawaiian at news.alaskaair.com. Alaska Air Group is traded on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) as “ALK.”
