HONOLULU (AP) – Southwest Airlines is preparing to resume expansion of its service to Hawaii.
The Honolulu Star-Advertiser reported Thursday that the carrier’s expansion plans were delayed due to a lack of available aircraft.
The aircraft limitation was a result of a Federal Aviation Administration order in March to ground Boeing 737 Max planes following deadly crashes in Ethiopia and Indonesia.
All 34 of Southwest’s Max aircraft from its fleet of 753 aircraft were grounded during the second quarter.
Southwest experienced about 20,000 flight cancellations in the second quarter, while the normal rate is about 3,000.
Dallas-based Southwest began Hawaii service in March and expects to begin offering flights to Hawaii from Sacramento and San Diego, California.
Southwest also plans to offer services to Lihue on Kauai and Hilo on Hawaii island.
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