Alaska Air Cargo and Hawaiian Air Cargo will offer belly cargo capacity between Seattle and Tokyo, as well as Seattle and Seoul, starting in May, following Alaska’s acquisition of Hawaiian Airlines.
From May 12, Hawaiian Airlines’ widebody aircraft will operate daily nonstop flights between Seattle (SEA) and Tokyo Narita (NRT), with Seattle–Seoul Incheon (ICN) services set to launch in October.
The move comes after Alaska Air Group completed its $1.9bn acquisition of Hawaiian Airlines, expanding its operations to include transpacific routes and adding widebody aircraft to its fleet for the first time.
In March, an enhanced domestic network with increased belly cargo capacity will also be introduced, allowing shipments to be booked across both carriers under a single air waybill (AWB).
Further expansion is planned for Hawaiian Airlines’ service between Honolulu and Tokyo Haneda (HND), increasing from 12 to 14 flights per week. The carrier will also continue nonstop flights between Honolulu and Osaka, as well as Fukuoka, bringing its total weekly roundtrips between Hawaiʻi and Japan to 24.
Alaska has also begun co-locating cargo operations at shared stations, streamlining pick-up and drop-off locations for customers of both airlines. Co-located stations are already operational in New York (JFK) and Seattle (SEA), with Lihu’e and Maui to follow this month.
Ian Morgan, vice president of cargo at Alaska Airlines, highlighted the benefits of the integration:
“Together, Alaska Air Cargo and Hawaiian Air Cargo serve three times more connecting markets than either of us could reach alone. With our combined expertise across the Pacific and connections from the West Coast to the rest of the country, we are now positioned to support customers around the world in ways we simply couldn’t before.”