The arrival of Hawaiian Airlines’ first Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner marks a milestone in the airlines’ 94-year history and a major investment in the future for the local carrier as it heads toward combining with Alaska Airlines.

Over 1,500 employees and their guests attended a blessing Friday for Hawaiian’s new 300-seat flagship aircraft, which arrived in Honolulu on Feb. 14 after a delivery flight from North Charleston, S.C.

“This day has been a long time coming — in fact, today marks almost six years to the date when we first announced our investment in the 787-9 as the new flagship fleet for our company,” said Hawaiian President and CEO Peter Ingram at the blessing.

When Hawaiian’s first Boeing 787-9 takes flight, it will be a significant step in modernizing Hawaiian’s fleet, which until now has consisted of Airbus 330s, Airbus A321neos, and Boeing B717s.

The Boeing 787-9s are more fuel-efficient, capable of traveling greater distances, and offer Hawaiian a chance to grow profits by tapping into consumer demand for a more comfortable premium product.

Boeing said demand for the Dreamliner series has been robust across the globe since its first delivery in 2011. More than 80 customers from six continents have placed orders for more than 1,900 of the airplanes, and 1,111 of those orders have been delivered.

“In terms of total orders and deliveries, it is the most popular wide-body (aircraft) in history, and it has only been in service for 12 years,” said Darren Hulst, vice president of commercial marketing at Boeing.

Hulst said the aircraft is the first ever to be made out of a composite structure, making it lighter and thus saving on fuel costs and allowing longer-range flights.

“Overall, it’s about 25% more fuel-efficient than earlier wide-bodies,” he said. “Because the aircraft is more fuel-efficient, the range is about 17 hours or 8,000 miles — so a long ways from anywhere in Hawaii.”

He added that the aircraft’s wing is the most aerodynamic that Boeing has ever designed, and the engines are the most technologically advanced.

Hulst said the aircraft also sports passenger advancements such as lower cabin altitude pressurization, which helps passengers reach their destination feeling less dehydrated, better rested and more alert.

The planes have sensors to counter the effects of turbulence, while serrated chevrons on the engines lower inside and outside noise. Also, they have larger storage bins, mood lighting and dimmable windows, which offer the largest views of any passenger jet.

Hawaiian executives said the airline’s Boeing 787-9s will feature its largest premium space on any aircraft. There are 34 units in “Leihoku Suites,” which offer guests lie-flat seating in a 1-2-1 configuration. The suites include 18-inch in-flight entertainment screens, power outlets and wireless cell phone charging.

Ingram told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser, “The demand for premium experience for leisure travelers has really been growing in recent years. I remember when we made the decision to change the configuration of our A330s. We took out the recliner and added a lie-flat product in October 2015 and put in more extra comfort seats. When we did that, one of the things we didn’t have was any analysis we could look at to justify whether there would be a premium people would pay for a lie-flat product from the (U.S.) West Coast.

“We really justified it based on the very long-haul Tokyo, New York, Sydney markets, and it turns out the product was very popular from Los Angles and San Francisco as well. So when we were laying out the configuration for this aircraft, one of the things that you’ll notice, instead of having 18 seats upfront we’ve now got 34 of these Leihoku Suites, and we are really convinced that there’s going to be a lot of demand for this.”

Daily service on the Boeing 787-9 kicks off between Honolulu and San Francisco on April 15 and will run through May 14, followed by select flights between Honolulu and Los Angeles, and Honolulu and Phoenix from May 15.

Avi Mannis, Hawaiian’s executive vice president and chief marketing officer, said Hawaiian has 12 firm Boeing 787-9s on order and anticipates getting two more by the end of the year.

“The second one will arrive in a few weeks,” Mannis said, adding that several more will come next year, with the rest expected through 2027.

Delivery of Hawaiian’s first Boeing 787-9 was originally expected in 2021. But Hulst said the delivery schedule was pushed back as the pandemic changed demand and the way people traveled. Once the market recovered, he said, Boeing had some supply and regulatory challenges.

While delivery issues have been resolved, the delay complicated the timing of the first arrival, which followed a Dec. 3 announcement that Hawaiian had agreed to be bought by Alaska Airlines in a $1.9 billion deal, which included $900 million in Hawaiian debt.

The purchase has been approved by the boards of both airlines, Hawaiian’s stockholders, and has been endorsed by all four of Hawaii’s mayors. It still needs approval from competition authorities, including the U.S. Department of Justice and state attorneys general.

If the carriers combine, the Dreamliner will enhance Alaska’s competitive edge and range as its fleet is composed entirely of 737 series aircraft.

“The Alaska team is very enthusiastic about the Boeing 787-9. They see the same potential that we do,” Ingram said.

Hawaiian incorporated the voyaging theme throughout every aspect of the new aircraft, including its name.

Debbie Nakanelua Richards, Hawaiian’s director of community and cultural relations, said Hawaiian’s first Dreamliner was dubbed “Kapuahi” after Aldebaran, the huge star in the Taurus constellation that marks the bull’s fiery eye.

She said she and three Hokule‘a captains — Kala Babayan Tanaka, Catherine “Cat” Fuller and Shantell De Silva — chose the name after noting that Aldebaran was the brightest star in the sky.

Sen. Chris Lee (D, Kailua- Waimanalo-Hawaii Kai) said the arrival of Hawaiian’s first Boeing 787-9 also gives the community hope.

“Hawaiian is taking steps now that I think a lot of people wish that Aloha had. One of the big challenges that Aloha faced that contributed to the loss of the airline was a lack of investment in more fuel-efficient and newer aircraft, which meant that they had to carry enormous fuel costs, which ultimately was unsustainable when the economy turned,” Lee said. “(Hawaiian) is taking a necessary step in investing in new aircraft for the future, and clearly at a time when we (as a state) are not only focused on reducing emissions and being more sustainable, but also on ensuring that more efficient fuel usage means savings overall for the airlines and also lower costs for consumers and travelers.”