You may have seen the photos and videos of runway 8L and Taxiway Foxtrot at Honolulu’s Daniel K. Inouye International Airport (HNL), where we have temporarily parked many of our Hawaiian Airlines aircraft due to COVID-19 developments affecting travel.

As the only major Hawai‘i-based airline, with over 90 years of service to our community, images of our fleet on the ground and not in the sky serve as a powerful daily reminder of the severity of this crisis. At any given time, at least 52 aircraft in our 61-jet fleet can be seen resting on HNL’s tarmac, waiting for the moment they can reconnect Hawai‘i to the world.

Airbus A330s lined up on runway 8L at HNL.

While we rotate certain aircraft in a significantly reduced schedule designed to maintain essential connectivity for our community and shippers, including complimentary Neighbor Island flights to healthcare providers this month, our parked planes continue to get plenty of care from our mechanics. Our roughly 500-person maintenance team – from mechanics to engineers and supply agents – has been working around the clock to properly service our aircraft and keep our fleet in tip-top flying shape to bring our full network back online when we are ready to do so.

“Working during this COVID-19 pandemic is surreal. Every day we come to work, we see nearly the entire fleet of aircraft grounded,” said Brandon Ho, line aircraft mechanic at Hawaiian. “Regardless, we still show up to work and do our job to assure the planes are fit to fly when the time comes.” 

During a visit to our Honolulu maintenance hangar, Jonathan Yang, director of line maintenance, inspects slight damage to an aircraft's shell. His team is hard at work servicing our fleet, including reporting, mapping out and repairing any fuselage damage.

Our transpacific routes now include one daily non-stop flight between HNL and San Francisco (SFO) and Los Angeles (LAX). Three of our 24 long-haul wide-body Airbus A330s are taking turns operating these two routes, while the remaining aircraft receive ongoing service. We also deploy A330s on our now once-weekly nonstop flights connecting HNL and Pago Pago in American Samoa; however, we have suspended this service through at least April 23 at the request of the U.S. territory government as it seeks to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Airbus A330s lined up on runway 8L at HNL.

Our current fleet of 17 A321neos, our mid-range narrow-body aircraft that serve smaller U.S. West Coast markets, are all parked. We are rotating through our Neighbor Island passenger fleet of 20 Boeing 717s to keep all aircraft running. Our ‘Ohana by Hawaiian operations are following a similar process with two of its ATR 42 passenger aircraft serving the more rural communities of Moloka‘i and Lāna‘i, as well as the all-cargo ATR 72 fleet moving products between the islands.

Throughout the day and night, our maintenance teams are hard at work at our Honolulu hub and destination stations to ensure our planes remain fine-tuned and ready to fly. They’ve got their tools in hand to perform both multi-level checks required by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), as well as the aircraft and engine manufacturers, and daily maintenance on the engines and airframe. This work is done regardless of whether the aircraft has flown.

Photo credit: Mitchell Leighton Igcasenza

Our maintenance team has taken this downtime to service every part of our aircraft, including our engines.

“Aircraft maintenance tasks run on clocks. Even though we are flying a reduced flight schedule, the clock keeps ticking and mostly does not care if an airplane is in the air or not,” said Jonathan Yang, director of line maintenance at Hawaiian. Yang oversees 111 line mechanics who, despite an industry-wide slowdown caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, remain busy taking care of each of our planes.

One of our mechanics repairing a piece of sheet metal on the lower portion of a fuselage.

Our mechanics clock in a collective 120 hours each day just performing overnight checks on our 717s.* For our transpacific fleet, mechanics are busy conducting various checks scheduled on weekly, bimonthly, monthly, tri-monthly, and annual intervals.

“We have to continue doing these periodic checks to verify that certain systems and/or components of an aircraft are operating normally. This allows our fleet to remain in a flight-ready condition,” Yang added.

A Boeing 717 undergoing routine service during a sunny day at HNL. Our 717s are rotating through our reduced Neighbor Island schedule to allow for regular maintenance on each aircraft.

In addition to the scheduled tasks, which include routine maintenance from checking tire pressures and maintaining oil levels, our engineers and mechanics are focused on improving the in-flight experience for our guests by making modifications to optimize A321neo cabin temperatures – which is estimated to take mechanics some 140-180 hours per aircraft. We are also conducting robust cabin interior inspections, repair of seats and tray tables and deep cleaning throughout.

Yang inside a stripped-down Airbus A321neo cabin, which is being retrofitted with additional ventilation tubes beneath the floor. The modification is being done to a handful of A321neos and will optimize interior air temperature and circulation.

While the COVID-19 pandemic has created unprecedented challenges for all of us and temporarily changed the landscape of the aviation industry, our guests can remain confident in the safety and reliability that Hawaiian Airlines has been known for over 90 years.

“We all work together to ensure our aircraft are ready to fly when this situation is over. It's been challenging as this is all new to everyone. Flexibility has been key to staying positive and focused on the main goal of protecting our aircraft for the return of our great company to full operational status,” said Joe Mooney, a line aircraft mechanic at Hawaiian. “The maintenance of our planes has continued as we transition to putting them to bed, so to speak. They are resting for the big awakening, which will hopefully come sooner rather than later. I have no doubt that our team at Hawaiian Airlines will roar back to full operations soon and continue our honored tradition of sharing Hawai‘i with the world.”

*An FAA requirement that requires us to check each aircraft every 48 hours regardless of flight hours logged.

The Hawaiian proverb “Kōkua aku, kōkua mai, pēlā ihola ka nohona ʻohana” translates to “Family life requires an exchange of mutual help and recognition.” In Hawaiʻi, ʻohana includes immediate and extended family, with each member coming together and recognizing how their kōkua (assistance) contributes to the greater good.

As Hawai‘i’s flagship carrier, Hawaiian Airlines is passionate about the wellbeing of our local communities – especially during the unprecedented challenges created by the COVID-19 virus. As we face the pandemic’s impact on the state’s tourism industry and aviation sector, aloha continues to permeate through our employees’ work – both on and off the job.

Hawaiian Airlines employees practicing social distancing during a group photo at a recent Team Kōkua event. To keep one another safe, volunteers are required to practice social distancing at all Team Kōkua events.

Our all-employee volunteer group, Team Kōkua, has played a pivotal role in engaging our colleagues and coordinating opportunities for people wanting to help when it’s needed the most.

“For me the real value of kōkua is to live into that verb – of the doing, of the experiencing,” said Debbie Nākānelua-Richards, director of community and cultural relations at Hawaiian Airlines. “We haven’t needed to put volunteer calls out as much in the past several weeks as a result of so many employees across our organization coming to us and saying, ‘help me find a way to give back.’ I think there is something wonderful to be said about that…it’s been incredible.”

Team Kōkua recently helped Lanakila Meals on Wheels prepare and deliver food for O‘ahu's kūpuna.

Team Kōkua has remained steadfast in helping local partner organizations, including Lanakila Meals on Wheels and Hawaii Foodbank, maintain critical services to our most vulnerable neighbors.

Caring for Our Kūpuna with Lanakila Meals on Wheels

Lanakila Meals on Wheels prepares and delivers some 30,000 nutritious meals each month to over a thousand kūpuna (elderly) statewide.

Their services have become increasingly important to kūpuna who are at a greater risk of health complications from COVID-19 and rely on the organization’s food aid.

Insulated bags packed with food ready to be delivered to kūpuna on O‘ahu.

“There’s so much value in giving back to a place like Lanakila, whose whole impetus started in 1939,” said Nākānelua-Richards. “It’s incredible to think about the origins of our organizations and how we were around at the same time. Being able to come together during challenging times is a true reflection of our strong relationship.”

“I started delivering for Lanakila Meals on Wheels in 2017 with my daughter Chloe’s school,” said Rhonda Matthews, senior director of human resources at Hawaiian Airlines. “We continue to volunteer because the relationships we have with the kūpuna we deliver to means so much to us. It’s nice to see the purple Team Kōkua T-shirts sprinkled throughout Lanakila.”

Rhonda Matthews and her daughter Chloe preparing to deliver a packaged meal to a Lanakila Meals on Wheels family.

Matthews recently joined Team Kōkua with home deliveries, driving through O‘ahu neighborhoods as her daughter reads off the names and addresses of the day’s recipients from the backseat. At each stop, they carry the carefully packaged meals from their car to each kupuna's doorsteps.

Clayton Arakawa, home delivery supervisor at Lanakila Meals on Wheels, recalls that “Hawaiian Airlines has always been there.”

Debbie Nākānelua-Richards pictured during a recent Team Kōkua event at Lanakila Meals on Wheels.

Reflecting on the community’s longtime support of his group, he says he enjoys seeing volunteer relationships grow stronger.

“They literally become family. We have regular Saturday, Tuesday and Thursday groups, and they have a lot of fun doing it. They become a community of friends,” Arakawa said. “You also see mothers and daughters delivering, husbands and wives, and they build excellent relationships with these kūpuna. And most times, for these kūpuna, the highlight of their day is seeing these volunteers.”

Helping Local Families with the Hawaii Foodbank

The Hawaii Foodbank has spent the last 35 years ensuring that no one in Hawaiʻi goes hungry, and its role has become even more critical as the COVID-19 economic fallout impacts communities statewide. Last year the Hawaii Foodbank distributed about one million pounds of food per month, reaching one in eight families throughout Hawaiʻi. However, Marielle Terbio, director of community engagement and volunteer at Hawaii Foodbank, says the number has gone up and will continue to grow.

Hawaii Foodbank has expanded their safety rules, which now prioritizes social distancing and the use of personal protection equipment to protect volunteers and beneficiaries.

“For me, the mission was very important,” Terbio said. “I grew up in a single-parent household, low-income family, and that’s primarily who Hawaii Foodbank serves. We see Hawaiʻi as one ʻohana.”

“We’ve seen an uptick in the food that’s going out,” she explained. "Many people in the community have lost or are at risk of losing their job, and some aren't even able to work because they are caring for their keiki who are not at school or family members who are sick." 

Team Kōkua volunteers helping sort fresh produce before it gets distributed to local families.

In response to the nonprofit’s growing needs, Team Kōkua has spent some 134 hours helping Hawaii Foodbank staff sort food inventory over the past two weeks. Together, over 50 volunteers organized an influx of food donations including produce, canned goods, and bread, for families facing hardship.

“I really appreciate their sincere want to kōkua and willingness to do what it takes to fulfill the mission, their reliability, and most importantly, that they do it with a smile,” Terbio said.

Elisa Asato helping pack food while volunteering at the Hawaii Foodbank.

After helping sort produce at a recent volunteer shift, Elisa Asato, marketing promotions specialist at Hawaiian Airlines, said, “I am lucky that I get to volunteer because I know that there are people out there who cannot help at this time. There’s a lot of uncertainty in the world, so if I can make someone laugh, it helps to brighten up everyone’s day. The saying is true, ‘A smile goes a long way.’”

Giving back in times like these is vital, Asato added. “It’s so important that we continue to help nonprofit organizations like Lanakila Meals on Wheels and Hawaii Foodbank when we’re able to,” she said. “Even dedicating a few hours of your time to help can make a huge difference.”

Learn more about our Team Kōkua Giving Program here. If you're interested in volunteering alongside our employees, click here for Hawaii Foodbank opportunities and here for Lanakila Meals on Wheels.