Southwest Airlines 1st Test Flight to Hawaii

Southwest Airlines is making its maiden voyage to Hawaii this week — but there won’t be any vacationers aboard.

Federal safety inspectors will fly on the Boeing 737-800 from Oakland to Honolulu in a key step for the low-cost airline’s process of getting government approval to begin commercial flights to the islands.

During the flight, which Southwest said will take off Tuesday, the airline will seek to demonstrate its long-range navigation and communication systems to inspectors from the Federal Aviation Administration. The airline must get a government approval for long over-water flights, known as “extended-range twin-engine operational performance standards” or ETOPS.

Southwest, which serves destinations in the U.S., Mexico and the Caribbean, first announced it planned to start offering service to Hawaii in October 2017. Southwest will need regulators to sign off on the airline’s ability to operate the flights safely since their path will take them more than an hour from the closest airport.

“It has impacted our certification process for Hawaii,” CEO Gary Kelly told CNBC last month about the shutdown.

Southwest plans to offer Hawaii flights from the West Coast as well as intra-island service.

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – Southwest Airlines is expected to carry out a long-distance test flight to Hawaii on Tuesday, an indication that the carrier is getting closer to beginning its long-awaited service to the Hawaiian Islands.

The test, known across the industry as an ETOPS test, is standard procedure for long-distance flights that are awaiting FAA clearance. ETOPS stands for “Extended-range, Twin-engined, Operation, Performance and Standards.”

A spokesperson for the airline tells Hawaii News Now that the test is meant to demonstrate long-range navigation and communication procedures, as well as the equipment onboard each aircraft designed for those procedures.

The spokesperson says the passing of the ETOPS test is a key element toward beginning service to Hawaii.

Once we pass all phases of the ETOPS application process to the satisfaction of the FAA and receive our ETOPS authorization, we will announce further details of timing for selling and operating flights,” the spokesperson said.

The airline told FlightGlobal magazine last year that it was “close” to getting the extended twin-engine operations certification, but the shutdown of the federal government that began in December impacted the carrier’s ability to receive clearance.