Island Air To Be Sold

Island Air announced last week that it will be selling the company to an undisclosed buyer, according to the news release. The sale could be finalized as early as next month.

The 32-year-old airlines flies to all six islands but mostly, to smaller airports on Molokai, Lanai and Kapalua on Maui. No word yet if those routes will be changing with new ownership or if jobs will be affected.

“This is a great opportunity for the future of the company,“ said Les Murashige, Island Air’s president, in the release. “The company has gone through a number of challenges recently and a new owner will bring a fresh perspective to the company.”

Island Air will announce the buyer once the agreement is finalized. Until then, media outlets can only speculate on what’s to become of the sale. Should the new buyer plan to expand, one has to wonder if it’ll bring competition to Hawaiian Airlines. Last year, Hawaiian had a record number of passengers in its 80-year history.

I hope the sale will keep the routes to smaller airports. Island Air flies to Molokai and Lanai, which are two islands that Hawaiian does not currently service. Until then, we’ll just have to wait and see what happens. Be sure to check back with us in a few weeks.

Posted by: Bruce Fisher on Jan 14, 2013