Hawaiian Airlines to get $650M in federal aid to continue operating

HONOLULU, Hawaii (HawaiiNewsNow) - Hawaiian Airlines says it’s getting more than $650 million in federal aid to keep operating.

CEO Peter Ingram told a state legislative committee that federal authorities have approved $290 million in grants and loans to cover its payroll, and a low interest loan of $364 million for operations.

Regulators will also not require Hawaiian to add more flights to the mainland.

“Our exemptions were granted so that prevents us from having to immediately return a lot of service that would largely be empty airplanes in any event right now,” Ingram said.

He said the money will keep Hawaiian flying for the short-term as the airline burns through $4 million a day in operating costs while much of its fleet is grounded.

Besides 17 daily inter-island flights, the carrier will maintain two daily round-trips to California, which are mostly bringing cargo to Hawaii.