FAA Flags Safety Risk as Aging Boeing 717s Dominate Hawaii Skies
Boeing 717s have served as the workhorse of Hawaiian inter-island travel for over two decades, but recent safety concerns have reignited scrutiny over the aging fleet. The FAA has issued a new directive requiring repeated inspections of a critical nose landing gear component, following a June 2023 incident where a Delta 717’s nose gear failed to deploy before landing in Charlotte.
Although the incident didn’t involve Hawaiian Airlines, now owned by Alaska Airlines, the FAA directive directly affects its fleet—the most intensively used 717 operation in the world. Hawaiian operates 19 Boeing 717s, some completing up to 16 flight cycles daily. Investigators linked the Delta failure to a fatigued upper lock link, which had previously passed inspection but later fractured due to stress from micro-scratches.
The 717, originally the McDonnell Douglas MD-95, was designed for short-haul, high-frequency flights, but experts say Hawaiian’s jets may have already exceeded their intended life cycles. While the aircraft has proven reliable, the new FAA inspections will increase maintenance costs and add pressure to eventually replace the fleet.
Alaska Airlines has not announced plans to retire or replace the 717s. However, options like the Embraer E175-E2 or Airbus A220 are being debated, with no ideal successor yet identified. Any replacement must handle rapid turnarounds, short runways, and high flight frequencies unique to Hawaii.
The FAA’s directive doesn’t ground the 717 but signals that keeping them in the air is becoming increasingly costly—and potentially risky—as the fleet ages beyond its expected lifespan.
Related News: https://airguide.info/?s=Hawaiian+Airlines, https://airguide.info/category/air-travel-business/travel-health-security/safety/
Sources: AirGuide Business airguide.info, bing.com, Hawaii Travel News