Hawaiian Airlines is moving up the timetable on its ambitious fleet expansion.

The state's largest airline said yesterday that it will begin flying its first two Airbus A330-200 aircraft in 2010, or two years before originally planned.

A third Airbus jet will be put into service the following year.

"These additional aircraft underscore Hawaiian's commitment to future growth and to reaching new markets globally, which will be a huge plus for Hawai'i travelers and for the long-term health and diversity of Hawai'i's tourism industry," said Hawaiian Chief Executive Officer Mark Dunkerley.

Shares of Hawaiian slipped 29 cents yesterday to $6.37 on the Nasdaq market.

Hawaiian will lease the three new Airbus jets under a 10-year agreement, and each of the long-range planes will be used on Hawaiian's trans-Pacific service.

They are in addition to up to 24 Airbus jets that Hawaiian is purchasing from the European manufacturer. Airbus plans to deliver the first of the purchased jets in 2012.

Hawaiian announced yesterday that it reached an agreement with CIT Group of New York to lease the first of its Airbus planes, which will be delivered to the airline in second quarter 2010.

A second Airbus jet, under a lease from Dublin, Ireland-based AWAS, was supposed to be delivered in 2011 but the lessor has agreed to move up delivery by about a year, Hawaiian said.

The third Airbus jet will join Hawaiian's fleet in 2011.

The twin-aisle Airbus jets, which seat 298 passengers, will replace Hawaiian's existing fleet of Boeing 767-300ER aircraft.

With an operating range of about 6,050 nautical miles, the new jets will allow Hawaiian to fly nonstop to all of North America and points in eastern Asia.

The new plans also will require Hawaiian to expand its staff.

Each new Airbus jet requires the hiring of 10 additional pilots and 40 more flight attendants, said Dunkerley.

The expansion of Hawaiian's trans-Pacific fleet comes as the airline is stepping up service in the interisland market.

Last month, Hawaiian put into service the first of four additional Boeing 717-200 jets for its interisland service. The company said it plans to add 109 roundtrip interisland flights a week by January with the new Boeing jets.