Roberta Aguirre
Hawaii has five principal airports, including three international airports, on four of its islands. The main and largest airport in Hawaii is the Daniel K. Inouye International Airport (formerly Honolulu International Airport) in Honolulu, which covers 4,220 acres of land. Other airports include Kahului Airport (Maui), Hilo International Airport (Hawaii Island), Ellison Onizuka Kona International Airport at Keahole (Hawaii Island), and Lihue Airport (Kauai).
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Number of Principal Airports | 5 |
| Number of International Airports | 3 |
| Names of Airports | Daniel K. Inouye International Airport, Kahului Airport, Hilo International Airport, Ellison Onizuka Kona International Airport, Lihue Airport |
| Cities | Honolulu, Kahului, Hilo, Keahole, Lihue |
| Islands | Oahu, Maui, Hawaii, Kaua'i |
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What You'll Learn
Honolulu's Daniel K. Inouye International Airport
Honolulu, located on the island of O'ahu, is home to Hawaii's main and
The airport is located in the Honolulu census-designated place, about 3 miles (4.8 km) northwest of Honolulu's central business district. Covering 4,220 acres (1,710 ha), it accounts for more than 1% of O'ahu's land. The airport has four major runways and is adjacent to the Hickam Air Force Base, with which it shares its runways. The principal runway, 8R/26L, also known as the Reef Runway, was the world's first major runway constructed entirely offshore and served as a designated alternate landing site for the Space Shuttle. In addition to the four paved runways, there are two designated offshore waterways for seaplanes.
Daniel K. Inouye International Airport offers nonstop flights to numerous destinations in North America, Asia, and Oceania. It serves as the primary hub for Hawaiian Airlines and a base for Aloha Air Cargo. The airport features three terminals, with 60 gates (54 jet-way gates and 6 hard stands) in total. Terminal 1 and Terminal 2 are connected post-security, but passengers travelling between them must pass through a USDA agricultural inspection station for carry-on luggage. The airport provides a free shuttle bus service called the Wiki Wiki Shuttle, which operates between the ticket lobbies of all three terminals and the concourses of Terminal 1 and Terminal 2 post-security.
The airport has achieved several milestones, including the implementation of Mobile Passport Control (MPC) in December 2024, allowing eligible travellers to expedite their entry into the U.S. using a mobile application. It has also attained Airport Carbon Accreditation (ACA) Level 3 status and is set to be serviced by the light metro system, Skyline, once Segment 2 opens in mid-2025.
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Ellison Onizuka Kona International Airport
Kona International Airport, officially known as Ellison Onizuka Kona International Airport at Keāhole, is located at 73-200 Kupipi Street in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii. The airport is named after astronaut Ellison Onizuka, who was born and raised in Kona and died in the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster.
The airport covers 4,204 acres of land, with its commercial passenger facility consisting of rambling, open-air, tropical-style structures divided into three terminals. Terminal 1 includes gates 1 through 5, Terminal 2 includes gates 6 through 10, and Terminal 3 caters to smaller commuter flights. Kona International Airport is unique in that it is the only major airport in Hawaii where passengers board and disembark using mobile stairs or ramps instead of jet bridges. Despite this, the airport still services large airliners, including the Airbus A321 and A330, as well as various Boeing models such as the 717, 737, and 787.
The history of the airport dates back to 1970 when it was constructed to address the growing tourism in Kona and the western side of the island. Prior to this, tourists would fly into Hilo Airport and endure a lengthy drive across the island. The opening of the Ellison Onizuka Kona International Airport helped accelerate a shift in tourism towards West Hawaii. Over time, the airport underwent several name changes, initially being called Keāhole-Kona International Airport in 1993, then Kona International Airport at Keāhole in 1997, before finally being renamed Ellison Onizuka Kona International Airport at Keāhole in 2017 to honour the late astronaut.
The airport has seen several developments over the years, including the extension of its runway to 11,000 feet in 1994, making it the second-longest in the Hawaiian Islands after Honolulu. This extension enabled the airport to accommodate much larger aircraft and facilitate nonstop flights to destinations like Tokyo and cities beyond the West Coast hubs in the United States. The airport has also undergone modernisation projects, such as combining its two separate terminals into one central terminal area with a unified security screening section. However, some travellers have noted that the airport is quite small compared to others, and there are limited dining options available.
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Hilo International Airport
The airport has undergone several transformations and developments over the years. In 1968, an interim overseas terminal was constructed at General Lyman Field to accommodate the increasing number of international passengers until a new terminal complex could be built. This terminal was dedicated on July 4, 1969. Following this, a new terminal was proposed, designed to accommodate the largest passenger airliner in service at the time, the Boeing 747. The first jumbo jet to land at the airport was a 747 operated by Braniff International Airways on February 6, 1971.
The first phase of development was completed in 1975, and work immediately began on the second phase. On April 30, 1976, a new, modern facility was dedicated. To better serve the airport and its lengthened runway, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) opened a new, taller air traffic control tower in November 1979.
In 1985, United Airlines operated a single daily departure from Hilo, a nonstop flight to Los Angeles (LAX) using a stretched Super DC-8 aircraft. However, by the mid-1980s, international traffic had declined significantly, leading United Airlines, the sole remaining international carrier, to terminate its scheduled service in December 1986. Hilo experienced a near two-decade-long gap in nonstop service to North America.
In May 1989, the state Legislature renamed General Lyman Field to "Hilo International Airport" to reorient the airport's image and align with the practice of naming airports after their geographical locations. The main terminal retained the Lyman name. In April 2006, ATA Airlines resumed daily non-stop service between Hilo and Oakland International Airport, utilising a Boeing 737-800 aircraft. This marked the first time in nearly two decades that Hilo had direct international service, and it was celebrated with great enthusiasm.
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Lihue Airport
For the 12-month period ending on August 5, 2022, the airport recorded 109,650 aircraft operations, averaging 300 per day. During this period, 61% of aircraft operations were air taxis, 28% were scheduled commercial, 10% were general aviation, and 1% were military. There were 46 aircraft based at the airport, including 19 single-engine planes, 5 multi-engine planes, and 22 helicopters. The Kauaʻi Bus route 100/200 connects the airport to downtown Lihue.
Several major airlines serve Lihue Airport, including United Airlines, which primarily uses Gates 9 and 10, and Delta Air Lines, which primarily uses Gates 7 and 8. Other airlines that use the airport include Alaska Airlines, Southwest Airlines, WestJet, Hawaiian Airlines, and American Airlines. Hawaiian Airlines operates a Premier Lounge at the airport, which is open to first-class travellers.
The airport has a straightforward layout, with rental car offices located directly across from the parking lot. Baggage claim is located outdoors, and there is a Turo pickup location at the corner of the building. The airport has also been praised for its efficient security and management.
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Kahului Airport
The history of Kahului Airport can be traced back to World War II when the Navy acquired approximately 1,341 acres of sugar cane fields near Kahului to construct a naval air station. After the war, the Territory of Hawaii negotiated with the Navy to convert the base into a civil airport, and by December 1947, the airfield was under the jurisdiction of the Territory. A passenger terminal was built, and an old shop was remodelled into a refrigerated air freight building. The navigational and runway lighting systems were also installed during this transition period.
Today, the Kahului Airport terminal building has ticketing, USDA agricultural inspection, and baggage claim areas on the ground level. Most of the gates are spaced to handle narrow-body aircraft used on inter-island flights, such as the Boeing 717 and 737. However, the airport has also accommodated larger wide-body aircraft, including the Airbus A330, Boeing 767, and Boeing 777. The air traffic control tower, completed in 1988, stands 187 feet (57 m) above mean sea level.
In recent years, the Hawai'i Department of Transportation has made improvements to the airport, including the dedication of a new and expanded passenger waiting area in January 2025 and changes to parking rates in February 2024. The airport is well-connected to the surrounding area, offering visitors easy access to Maui's beautiful beaches, water sports, Haleakala Crater, the old whaling town of Lahaina, and more.
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Frequently asked questions
Hawaii has five principal airports, including three international airports, on four of its islands. The five major airports are:
- Daniel K. Inouye International Airport in Honolulu, Oahu
- Kahului Airport on Maui
- Hilo International Airport on Hawaii Island
- Ellison Onizuka Kona International Airport at Keahole on Hawaii Island
- Lihue Airport on Kauai
The Daniel K. Inouye International Airport in Honolulu is the main and largest airport in Hawaii.
Lihue Airport is the main airport on the island of Kaua'i.
