Hawaiian Airlines to Deliver 2 Million Masks From China

Hawaiian Airlines on Saturday dispatched a plane across the Pacific Ocean to bring millions of personal protective equipment units back to the islands.

The airline, in partnership with the grassroots community group Every1ne Hawai‘i, chartered a cargo flight to bring 2 million face masks to Hawai‘i from China, the company said in a press release.

After a company-wide effort over several days to coordinate flight logistics and international approvals for the humanitarian mission, four Hawaiian pilots, two mechanics and two airport operations employees departed Honolulu just before 1 p.m. HST Saturday aboard an Airbus A330 aircraft headed to Incheon, South Korea, where the crew will rest before continuing to Shenzhen, China.

The wide-body aircraft’s lower deck crew rest module, which is located underneath the passenger cabin, was removed in a special modification to maximize cargo space in order to accommodate the large shipment, Hawaiian Airlines said.

The aircraft is scheduled to arrive in Honolulu just before 5 p.m. HST on Monday. The boxes will be loaded on a fleet of “mask mobiles,” and Every1ne Hawai‘i will work with community nonprofits and the City and County of Honolulu to coordinate distribution of masks to protect Hawai‘i’s most vulnerable community members from COVID-19.