Recently, Hawaiian Airlines debuted special livery jets for Disney’s Moana 2. In the past, these were two Airbus A330s. However, this time, it’ll be an A330, and A321neo, and a Boeing 717. All but the 717 have received their decals thus far, and with work on the 717 now underway, I wanted to provide a Moana 2 jet update.
During its announcement for the new Moana 2 special livery aircraft, Hawaiian Airlines displayed their completed Airbus A330 – N381HA “Hokūle’a.” Presumably, this aircraft was chosen due to the association between the star Hokule’a and the Polynesian Voyaging Society’s iconic Hokūle’a voyaging canoe. The announcement video then displayed a rending of N202HA wearing the Moana 2 decals, though it was eventually N208HA that received the treatment.
Eventually, I heard through the coconut wireless that Boeing 717 N476HA would get the special treatment. However, that no longer appears to be the case, which is why I’m now providing this Moana 2 jet update.
Moana 2 Jet Update
My sources tell me that the third and final aircraft to receive the special Moana 2 livery entered the hangar on 11/17 and emerged this morning. However, as mentioned, N476HA will no longer be the chosen one. Instead, N494HA “Koa’e Kea” will be assuming the role. To me, that aircraft’s name is a better match, as Koa’e Kea, or white-tailed tropicbird in English, is a seabird, whereas ‘Elepaio is a Hawaiian Honeycreeper.
It’s worth noting that, not only is the Koa’e Kea a seabird, but it’s also known to fly far from land to hunt for food, which means it’s potentially a bird used by wayfinders to locate land. That little factoid helps to better tie the aircraft to the movie. But, of course, I’m sure most observers wouldn’t make the connection, anyhow.
Final Thoughts
I hope this little Moana 2 jet update helps those of you looking to spot these birds as the fly around the Pacific. I know I’ll be chasing them whenever possible, and am especially keen on seeing N494HA. Hawaiian hasn’t previewed this design to us yet, and it’s the first time I can recall that the 717 will receive a special livery! With such a small surface area to work with (at least compared to the A330 and A321neo), it’ll be really interesting to see what they do.
That all said, I really do wish Hawaiian were more forthecoming with what’s going on. It has to know that planespotters are eagerly waiting to see these aircraft, so throwing us an easy bone by telling us when they take to the sky and what tail numbers they are would be greatly appreciated! I know I wasn’t the only one that made a special trip out to HNL on Memorial Day to see the back-to-back departures of N381HA and N208HA.
Anyway, who’s going to stalk these three beauties in hopes of catching a glimpse of them? As I said earlier, I know I will. Fortunately, N494HA should be far easier to spot, as she spends 100% of her time in the islands. Honestly, N208HA was the one I was most worried about, as the A321neos tend to not operate out of HNL all that much.