Thursday, June 3, 2010 at 1:49PM

As part of a marketing campaign called "Fleet of the Future," the second of up to 27 long range Airbus A330 and A350 aircraft was inaugurated into the fleet of Hawaiian Airlines on Tuesday. The culturally significant inauguration ceremony in Honolulu was attended by several representatives of Hawaiian Airlines and Airbus, and also by Hawai’i Governor Linda Lingle. The ceremony opened with a blessing by Kahu Richard Kamanu of Kaumakapili Church and a Hawaiian chant called an ’oli. Governor Lingle, Hawaiian Airlines President and CEO Mark Dunkerley, and Airbus Americas Chairman T. Allan McArtor each said a few words. The ceremony closed with performances by a 110-member high school marching band and more than 80 hula dancers.

The first of the two new A330-200s inaugurated into the fleet is named Makali’i, and arrived in Honolulu a month ago, after a Hawaiian-themed inauguration ceremony in Toulouse, France, the headquarters of Airbus. The second of the two planes, called Hokule’a, arrived in Honolulu last Saturday, after a 16-hour non-stop flight from Toulouse (IATA: TLS; ICAO: LFBO) to Honolulu (IATA: HNL; ICAO: PHNL).

Makali’i is the Hawaiian word for the ancient and world famous star cluster called the Seven Sisters in English, and Pleiades in Greek. This collection of stars, visible on both sides of the equator depending on the time of year, guided Polynesian navigators for centuries. It was visible high in the sky from Hawai’i on the night of Inter-Island Airways’ first flight in 1929. (Inter-Island Airways became Hawaiian Airlines in 1941.) Hokule’a, the name given to the second new A330 to arrive in Honolulu, simply means “star of gladness” in Hawaiian.

The two long hauls from Toulouse to Honolulu were a statement from Hawaiian Airlines that it means to fly routes to more distant destinations from its hub at Honolulu International Airport in the future. The first flight with Makali'i will be to Los Angeles International Airport (IATA: LAX; ICAO: KLAX) tomorrow. (Hawaiian Airlines has not announced plans to fly non-stop between Honolulu and Toulouse regularly.) Each of these new aircraft will seat 294 passengers, and will boast a number of modern tech-related conveniences for passengers in all seat classes to enjoy. These amenities will include USB ports for iPod use, and LCD touch screen monitors. Larger seats and additional tech-related features will be available in first class on these new planes.

Featuring prominently off to the side of the speakers at the inauguration ceremony was a full-size replica of the Bellanca CH-300 Pacemaker which flew Inter-Island Airways’ first flight in 1929. But the Pacemaker was dwarfed by Makali’i, which dominated the background directly behind the podium.

Airbus was formed in 1970 in a joint effort of the governments of France, the United Kingdom, and Germany. It now produces around half of the world’s jet airliners. Hawaiian Airlines was the highest-rated air carrier in the United States last year for service quality and performance, according to the annual Air Quality Rating study.

related story

Hawaiian Airlines gets nod from DOT for service to Haneda (May 9, 2010)

original stories

Hawaiian introduces its Fleet of the Future (Hawaiian Airlines)

Hawaiian introduces its Fleet of the Future (Hawaii 24/7 - includes a picture of the ceremony)