Hawaiian to launch Sendai flights
Hawaiian Airlines will launch flights to the Japanese city of Sendai this summer.
Commencing on 25 June 2013, the northeast Japanese city will become Hawaiian’s fifth destination in the country, following Tokyo, Osaka, Fukuoka and Sapporo. Sendai airport hit the news in March 2011 when it was devastated by the Tohoku earthquake and tsunami.
“We are delighted to be bringing the ‘aloha’ of our island home to a region being rebuilt after massive devastation two years ago,” said Mark Dunkerley, Hawaiian’s president and chief executive officer. “Hawaii is a place for relaxation, healing and rejuvenation, and we look forward to making visitors from Tohoku feel as though they are in Hawai’i from the moment they board our flights.”
Hawaiian’s new Sendai service will connect with its existing service to Sapporo, operating direct from Honolulu to Sendai, and returning via Sapporo. Services will operate three times a week, departing Honolulu on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays and arriving in Sendai the following day. The return service will depart on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays.
Hawaiian will operate the Honolulu-Sendai-Sapporo flights using a 264-seat Boeing 767-300ER aircraft.
Sendai will be the 10th new destination that Hawaiian has introduced or announced in less than three years, following the start of service to Tokyo in November 2010, Seoul in January 2011, Osaka in July 2011, Fukuoka in April 2012, New York in June 2012, Sapporo in October 2012 and Brisbane in November 2012. The carrier will also launch flights to Auckland and to Taipei in March and July 2013 respectively.