Airline to launch Hawaii-Beijing service

BEIJING - Hawaiian Airlines is scheduled to launch a non-stop service between Honolulu and Beijing in April of 2014 after receiving approvals from Chinese and US regulatory agencies, Xinhua learned on Friday.

Hawaiian Airlines' president and CEO Mark Dunkerley, who was visiting the Chinese capital, made the announcement.

The new service will be launched from Honolulu on April 16, 2014 and will operate three times each week using a 294-seat A330 aircraft, the airline said in a statement.

It will allow Chinese visitors to access the airline's extensive network, serving the Hawaiian Islands and US mainland, it said.

The Hawaiian Islands have become an increasingly popular destination for Chinese visitors in recent years. In 2012, nearly 80,000 Chinese tourists visited the archipelago.

The Hawaii Tourism Authority estimates the new service will generate $81 million in annual visitor expenditures and $8.47 million in tax revenue for Hawaii, according to the airlines.