Commuter carrier Southern Airways has acquired Hawaii
interisland airline Mokulele for an undisclosed price.
With the acquisition, Southern Airways will operate 1,380
weekly flights, up from the 600 it currently flies to 20 cities in the U.S.
mid-Atlantic and South.
Southern and Mokulele fly nine-seat Cessna turboprops.
Southern said it plans to maintain the Mokulele brand for marketing purposes,
though the carriers will eventually be folded under one operating certificate.
Mokulele serves nine Hawaiian destinations and operates an
Essential Air Service route between Los Angeles and border city El Centro,
Calif.
Southern said the expanded company will try to obtain
additional interline agreements with larger carriers. Southern has interline
agreements with American and Condor Airlines while Mokulele interlines with
Alaska and Air New Zealand.