DALLAS — The Federal Aviation Administration said Wednesday it has granted Southwest Airlines approval to begin flights between California and Hawaii, capping the airline’s effort to extend its reach 2,400 miles across the Pacific.
The FAA will increase oversight of Southwest for the first six months, an agency spokesman said, adding that the additional monitoring is standard practice.
Southwest plans to launch flights to four of the Hawaiian islands. It will fly from four cities in California: San Jose, Oakland, Sacramento and San Diego. CEO Gary Kelly has left open the option of adding flights between islands, which would encroach on markets dominated by Hawaiian Airlines.
Southwest needed FAA certification of its ability to operate over-water flights where the options for emergency landings are few.
