Kamaka Air Under New Leadership with Former Southwest Airlines Directors at the Helm
May 15 2024 - 11:33AM
Kamaka Air, the premier inter-island air cargo business based in
Honolulu, announces a significant leadership transition as it
continues its evolution under new ownership. The current ownership
group, who acquired the company in 2022, is ushering in a new era
by appointing two former directors of Southwest Airlines to lead
the company into its next phase of growth.
Effective immediately, David Hinderland will
assume the role of CEO, bringing with him more than 30 years of
airline, air cargo and integrated logistics experience. Dave
excelled in developing all aspects of air cargo business
development including start-up cargo airline development, strategic
marketing, sales management, advertising, promotions, ground
operations, cargo facility development, international air cargo
interline network programs and customer centric service strategies.
During his tenure at Southwest Airlines, Dave was the Director of
Cargo Marketing and Business Development for 19 years and led the
cargo management team to generate double-digit revenue growth
adding to the highly successful growth of Southwest Airlines
passenger revenues of $18 billion.
Joining Dave is Ken Gile, who will serve as COO
and leverage his extensive background in airline operations to
drive Kamaka Air forward in the competitive air cargo
market. Ken was one of the original flydubai employees,
starting as COO. He served in that position for 12 years
developing and executing the strategic start-up plan that grew from
zero aircraft to over 60 aircraft generating $3 billion in revenue.
He was responsible for safety, maintenance, quality assurance,
security, flight operations, scheduling, network-control and
in-flight sales. Ken’s departments developed flydubai’s aircraft
utilization plan, which afforded flydubai the ability to create one
of the highest aircraft daily utilization rates. He was also an
employee at Southwest Airlines for 25 years in flight operations
serving in several key roles, the last two as Chief Pilot and
Director of Flight Operations. During his tenure, Southwest
Airlines experienced a historic network and revenue growth of
35x.
This strategic move is fully supported by Kamaka Air's current
executive team, ensuring a seamless transition of leadership. Jim
Petrides and John Gravener, key members of the company's
leadership, will remain involved as board members, providing
valuable insight and guidance as the company embarks on its
ambitious growth trajectory.
Kamaka Air distinguishes itself in serving the people of Hawaii
by providing reliable air cargo services under several sub-service
agreements, catering to both commercial and private clients. With
new leadership in place, Kamaka Air is poised to expand its
presence and enhance its service offerings. The company plans to
pursue ongoing sales initiatives to strengthen its air cargo
business while concurrently exploring opportunities to establish
strategic partnerships with local businesses across the
islands. For more information about Kamaka Air and its
services, please visit www.kamakaair.com.
Contact: Dave Hinderland – CEO, Kamaka Air – 972.921.5470 – David@KamakaAir.com