Island Air getting bigger, faster plane amid expansion

HONOLULU — Island Air plans to start flying a faster, larger plane within Hawaii, putting it in a position to grab a bigger piece of the interisland market.

The Honolulu-based company on Wednesday was scheduled to hold a blessing and naming ceremony for its first Q400, a turboprop plane made by the Canadian manufacturer Bombardier.

The Q400 seats more people — 78 — and is faster than Island Air’s existing aircraft, the 64-passenger ATR 72. The aircraft Island Air is leasing will all be brand new, which should pose fewer maintenance problems than the airline’s existing 24-year-old planes. The company aims to swap out its entire five-plane fleet by the summer.

Island Air is Hawaii’s second largest carrier. But it’s much smaller than Hawaiian, which carries 84 percent of passengers flying between the islands. CEO David Uchiyama says Island Air had just 6 percent of the interisland market in the third quarter.

Uchiyama said Island Air doesn’t aim to compete with Hawaiian.

“All we’re looking to do is to expand our seat inventory and be a viable alternative for affordable interisland travel,” Uchiyama said in an interview. The company currently flies from Honolulu to Lihue, Kahului and Kona. Uchiyama said it aims to begin flights to Hilo this year.

Hawaii-based aviation historian Peter Forman said the interisland market has lacked a substantial second carrier since Aloha Airlines went out of business in 2008.

“Hawaii’s interisland market is too attractive a market to remain dominated by just one airline. Eventually a second major player will arrive,” Forman said. “By upgrading to the Q400, Island Air is staking their claim to becoming that second major player in the interisland market.”

Island Air’s challenge will be to convince passengers to try them out, Forman said.

Uchiyama said he believes Island Air’s prices will attract passengers. He said news of the airline will spread by word of mouth through the “coconut wireless.”