Hawaiian Airlines Grounds Two Airbus A321neos Due To Engine Issues

Hawaiian Airlines has been forced to ground two of its Airbus A321neos due to ongoing engine maintenance issues. The Honolulu-based carrier has cited supply chain problems as the reason behind the delays in maintenance, which have led to the aircraft being unable to operate.

One of the Airbus A321neos in question, N220HA, was delivered to Hawaiian Airlines in May 2019, and has been grounded at Oakland International Airport (OAK) since November 21, 2022. The other, registered as N226HA and delivered in August 2019, has not left Honolulu’s Daniel K. Inouye International Airport (HNL) since December 28th, 2022. Both aircraft are powered by Pratt & Whitney PW1000 engines.

The groundings have so far led to only limited operational impact, as the carrier has been able to substitute the Airbus A321neos with its Airbus A330-200s. Hawaiian Airlines would normally deploy the widebody aircraft on routes to Japan, but due to a slower-than-expected recovery in that market, they are available to be used in place of the two grounded Airbus A321neos, where needed.

Hawaiian Airlines is owned by Hawaiian Holdings, and its chief executive officer, Peter Ingram, acknowledged the challenging situation, saying,

“We have encountered constraints on the availability of A321 engines, for which the Pratt & Whitney MRO supply chain has been unable to keep pace. Most recently, this has resulted in two of our eighteen A321neo being grounded for an extended period awaiting available serviceable engines. I’ve talked a couple of times about some risk to aircraft availability, not so much around aircraft deliveries, but it’s the supply chain for spare engines, particularly on the A321 where we know we’re already running short.”

Hawaiian Airlines and the Airbus A321neo

Hawaiian Airlines took delivery of its first Airbus A321neo in October 2017. Today, the carrier has a total of 18 Airbus A321neos in its fleet, and the remaining 16 aircraft continue to operate as normal. Each Airbus A321neo seats a maximum of 189 passengers in a three-class configuration – 16 in business class, 44 in premium economy, and 129 in economy class.

Hawaiian Airlines operates its Airbus A321neos primarily on routes to the US West Coast, such as Kahului (OGG) – Portland (PDX), Honolulu (HNL) – Long Beach (LGB), and Kona (KOA) – Los Angeles (LAX).

Take a look back at Hawaiian Airlines’ performance in 2022 with this report from the Simple Flying team.

Future fleet renewal and expansion

While no exact timeline has been given for the two grounded Airbus A321neos to re-enter service, Hawaiian Airlines’ chief revenue officer, Brent Overbeek, confirmed that the carrier “continues to work with Pratt & Whitney, and anticipates improvements in the quarters ahead.”

When it comes to widebody operations, Hawaiian Airlines flies the Airbus A330-200 on its longer and thicker routes, such as Honolulu – New York (JFK) and Honolulu – Los Angeles. Of the 24 Airbus A330-200s in the airline’s fleet, 12 are owned, and 12 are leased.

Four of the leases are due to expire in 2024, and with the first of the carrier’s 12 Boeing 787-9s due to arrive by the end of this year, Hawaiian Airlines will be able to flex its growth rate by either ending or extending the leases, depending on market conditions at the time.

Have you flown on one of Hawaiian Airlines’ Airbus A321neos? Tell us about your experiences in the comments below.

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  Hawaiian Airlines

  IATA/ICAO Code:

  HA/HAL

  Airline Type:

  Full Service Carrier

  Hub(s):

  Honolulu International Airport, Kahului Airport

  Year Founded:

  1929

  CEO:

  Peter Ingram

  Country:

  United States