Hawaiian Airlines has carried out a mass evacuation of its aircraft fleet to avoid the incoming hurricane Douglas.
Most of Hawaiian Airlines’ aircraft have been moved to cities along the U.S. mainland west coast. The evacuation took place ahead of hurricane Douglas, which was approaching Hawaii and has been classed as a category two hurricane. With wind speeds of up to 90 miles an hour (almost 145 kilometres an hour), predictions were that Douglas would cause problems on the island.
Hours before the hurricane was predicted to hit the island, it changed its course and eventually dodged Hawaii. Nevertheless, Hawaiian Airlines moved much of its fleet. Most of the Hawaiian Airbus aircraft were flown to the U.S. west coast, spread across Los Angeles, Portland, Oakland, Sacramento and San Francisco. Others seem to be safely stored inside hangars at Honolulu, which are able to withstand wind speeds of up to 130 miles an hour.
The airline’s Boeing 717s were more difficult to accomodate, as the aircraft do not have the range to fly to the mainland. The 717s were therefore moved from Honolulu to Kona.