Par Hawaii is making improvements at its refinery to supply Hawaiian Airlines and other carriers with fuel that is lower in sulfur. Hawaiian Airlines is also taking steps to be greener by investing in new, energy-efficient planes and reducing fuel consumption and emissions. Hawaii Now Host Jobeth Devera got a behind-the-scenes glimpse at Hawaiian Airlines’ new Airbus A321neo’s.
According to Art Parra, Hawaiian Airlines’ fuel efficiency manager, there are a number of attributes that make the Airbus A321neo an outstanding aircraft. The fleet of A321neos boast an innovative model that is touted for its quiet engine, the Pratt & Whitney PurePower® Geared Turbofan, and boasts a greener, more aerodynamic build than its predecessors. Hawaiian Airlines is able to reduce its fuel consumption and carbon emissions on a single flight by 16% compared to previous generation aircraft.
In addition, the A321neo’s 189 seats allows Hawaiian Airlines to right-size its fleet for a very specific mission of serving mid-size markets on the U.S. West Coast. For example, the company currently flies the A321neo between Portland and Maui, a market that is not big enough to justify using one of its 278-seat widebody aircraft. The neo not only serves smaller but important West Coast markets, but also increase non-stop flights from the West Coast to neighbor islands. Next year, Hawaiian Airlines will launch flights between Sacramento and Maui. By picking the right aircraft for this mission, it is flying more efficiently as the company grows its network. This means it is reducing company’s costs, burning less fuel and lowering emissions, while stimulating economic activity on neighbor island communities.
Parra says Hawaiian Airlines’ major goal is to decrease its reliance on jet fuel to power the aircraft while at the gate. They have an initiative to connect parked aircraft to more efficient external electricity that is significantly reducing pilots’ use of the onboard auxiliary power unit, or APU, which burns jet fuel to keep lights, avionics systems, air conditioning and other equipment on. The ongoing effort has the potential to reduce Hawaiian’s APU usage by an estimated 30 minutes per flight, saving some 620,000 gallons of fuel annually and cutting CO2 emissions by 5,933 metric tons. That’s roughly enough fuel to fly the airline’s wide-body fleet for a day, while the carbon reductions equate to removing 1,253 cars off the streets each year.
For more information: parhawaii.com