Hawaiian's newest A330, Keali‘iokonaikalewa, is shown at Honolulu International Airport. The aircraft seats 294 passengers.

As seen on the nose of the aircraft, Hawaiian's newest A330 is named Keali‘iokonaikalewa, the Hawaiian name for Canopus, which is the second-brightest star in the night sky.

Kahu Richard Kamanu of Kaumakapili Church performed a traditional Hawaiian blessing of the new A330. Also taking part were Hawaiian Airlines employees (l-r), Eric Nishijima, Ty Gesteuyala, and Glenn Omoto, who were members of the team that brought Keali‘iokonaikalewa from the Airbus Factory in Toulouse, France to Honolulu.

Hawaiian Airlines welcomed its newest Airbus A330-200 into service this week following a traditional Hawaiian blessing at its Honolulu base on Tuesday (6/26).

The new A330 is the fourth to join Hawaiian’s fleet this year and the ninth overall since June 2010, when the company began its long-haul fleet renewal and expansion program. The aircraft was flown nonstop from the Airbus Factory in Toulouse, France to Los Angeles last week where it underwent final preparations for entry into service.

Hawaiian’s newest A330 is named Keali‘iokonaikalewa, which is the Hawaiian name for the star Canopus, the second-brightest star in the night sky. Each of Hawaiian’s new A330s is named for a constellation or star used by Polynesians for celestial navigation in ancient times when they voyaged in sailing canoes across the Pacific to Hawai‘i.

Hawaiian will take delivery of 13 additional new A330s between 2013 and 2015, bringing to 22 the total number of A330s in its fleet.

Hawaiian’s new A330s are more fuel-efficient and have a longer operating range than its fleet of Boeing 767-300 aircraft, giving Hawaiian the capability to open new nonstop routes between Hawai‘i and points throughout North America and eastern Asia.

Over the past 18 months, the company has significantly expanded its operations between Hawai‘i and the mainland U.S., and has introduced service or announced new service to seven new destinations: Tokyo, Osaka, Fukuoka and Sapporo, Japan; Seoul, South Korea; New York City and Brisbane, Australia.

In addition to the operational benefits, Hawaiian’s wide-body, twin-aisle A330s also offer superior customer comforts and amenities that include a spacious interior, increased legroom and a state-of-the-art, on-demand entertainment system with high-resolution LCD touch-screen monitors for every passenger.