dailynewsnblog
An art insurer is suing 
Alaska Airlines for more than $521,900 after 11 paintings were allegedly soaked and badly damaged while being transferred between aircraft amid a heavy rainstorm in Honolulu. The original artworks were traveling from Osaka, Japan, to New York via Honolulu ahead of delivery to New York-based Japanese art dealer Naga Antiques.
The lawsuit accuses the carrier of making “no effort to protect” the shipment from water damage while transferring them between flights during a rainstorm. Both flight legs were operated by Hawaiian Airlines, now a fully owned subsidiary of Alaska.
Lawsuit Claims Japanese Paintings Soaked In Hawaiian Rain
The incident occurred on March 18, 2026, and involved two Hawaiian Airbus A330-200 passenger aircraft. The 11 artworks – described by The Independent as original Japanese paintings on paper – left Kansai International Airport (KIX) for Honolulu International Airport (HNL) ahead of being moved to a different A330 heading for 
New York JFK Airport (JFK).
According to the lawsuit, the damage occurred during this transfer, when the paintings were exposed to heavy rain on the Honolulu ramp. It adds that the airline’s employees removed the artwork from the arriving A330 without sufficiently protecting it from the weather, and says employees “knew that such conduct would result in significant damage to the artworks.”
The paintings were packed in cardboard crates for the journey, leaving them susceptible to leaks in heavy rainfall. The complaint claims that the 11 paintings were subsequently “soaked and sustained significant damage,” which the art insurer values at over half a million dollars. The lawsuit states:
“In Honolulu, Hawaii, Alaska deplaned the Artworks during a heavy rainstorm and made no effort to protect the Artworks from water damage. As a result, the Artworks were soaked and sustained significant damage.”
Artworks Were Destined For Japanese Antique Dealer
The damaged artworks were being shipped from Japan to Naga Antiques, a well-known dealer of Japanese and Asian antiques established in 1971. The suit is being brought by Distinguished Programs, which has already paid out Naga Antiques’ claim, against Alaska, Hawaiian and Queens-based logistics company Compass Forwarding.
Naga Antiques describes itself as “the premier destination for antique furniture and Japanese screens,” and some of the antiques it handles can be valued at $100,000 or more. The suit has not identified which 11 paintings were damaged or broken down their individual values, but has collectively valued them at over $521,900.
The way the paintings were packed could be an important factor in liability. Alaska’s cargo requirements state that customers are responsible for packing goods robust enough to withstand normal handling. It also says it will refuse cargo that has been packed incorrectly, and says it is not responsible for damage caused by “improper or insufficient packing.”
Hawaii Was In The Middle Of Terrible Weather
According to data from the National Weather Service, Hawaii suffered a series of downpours and floods from March 10 to March 24. While moving cargo between aircraft in wet weather is normal, sensitive shipments without sufficient water protection can be exposed to the elements and subsequently damaged. Paintings on paper are especially vulnerable to water because once the paper is soaked, the damage can be quick and permanent.
The nearly 10-hour flight from Honolulu to New York also meant the antiques company or any art specialists could not immediately inspect the paintings after they were soaked. Any damage that occurred during the transfer would therefore have gone unexamined until the shipment reached New York.
HNL opened a $36 million in-line baggage system at Terminal 1 in 2023, replacing lobby-side screening with automated conveyors. However, cargo does not go through this system, with the airport’s freight operation split across nine cargo terminals. Offering 450,000 square feet of cargo warehouse space and more than one million square feet of cargo ramp area, HNL is a key transfer airport for freight between the US and Asia.
