Hawaiian Airlines to start service to China

HONOLULU — Hawaiian Airlines plans to start non-stop service from Honolulu to China beginning next year and will eliminate service to Manila over the summer.

The airline said Wednesday that the flights from Honolulu to Beijing are expected to start on April 16, 2014, pending U.S. and Chinese regulatory approval.

The new service is expected to run three times a week.

This would be Hawaiian Airlines 10th new international destination since November 2010.

The new service is expected to produce $81 million in annual visitor spending and $8.47 million in tax revenue for Hawaii, according to the Hawaii Tourism Authority.

Hawaiian Airlines said it is discontinuing non-stop service to Manila due to underperformance. Chief Commercial Officer Peter Ingram said in a statement that high fuel prices and low fares hurt the route.

Flights to Manila, which began in April 2008, were running four times a week. The final flight from Honolulu to Manila will be on July 31.

The company said that its reservations department will make arrangements with other airlines serving Manila to accommodate passengers with flights scheduled to Manila after Aug. 1.

Hawaiian Airlines is a subsidiary of Hawaiian Holdings Inc. Its new service between Honolulu and Taipei, Taiwan starts on July 9. It also offers nonstop service to Hawaii from 11 U.S. cities and has service from Japan, South Korea, the Philippines, Australia, New Zealand, American Samoa, and Tahiti. The company provides about 160 daily flights between the Hawaiian islands.

Shares of Hawaiian Holdings finished at $5.36 on Tuesday. They have traded in a 52-week range of $4.92 to $7.30 per share.