| Kona International Airport at Keāhole | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| IATA: KOA – ICAO: PHKO – FAA LID: KOA
KOA
|
|||
| Summary | |||
| Airport type | Public | ||
| Operator | Hawaii Department of Transportation | ||
| Serves | Kailua-Kona, Hawaii | ||
| Location | Kalaoa, Hawaii | ||
| Elevation AMSL | 47 ft / 14 m | ||
| Website | |||
| Runways | |||
| Direction | Length | Surface | |
| ft | m | ||
| 17/35 | 11,000 | 3,353 | Asphalt |
| Statistics (2007, 2010) | |||
| Aircraft operations (2007) | 150,624 | ||
| Based aircraft (2007) | 59 | ||
| Passengers (2010) | 2,649,493 | ||
| Source: Federal Aviation Administration[1], Kona Airport[2] | |||
Kona International Airport at Keāhole (IATA: KOA, ICAO: PHKO, FAA LID: KOA) is an airport on the Island of Hawaiʻi, in Kalaoa CDP, Hawaiʻi County, Hawaiʻi, United States.[3] The airport serves leeward, or Western Hawaiʻi island, including the town of Kailua-Kona and the major resorts of the North Kona and South Kohala districts.
Contents |
Much of the airport runway is built on a relatively recent lava flow: the 1801 Huʻehuʻe flow from Hualālai. This flow extended the shoreline out an estimated 1 mi (1.6 km), adding some 4 km2 (1.5 sq mi) of land to the island[4] and creating Keāhole Point. The new airport was dedicated on July 1, 1970, with a single 6,500-foot (2.0 km) runway; the previous smaller airstrip was converted into the Old Kona Airport State Recreation Area.
Construction crews from Bechtel Corporation had used three million pounds of dynamite to flatten the lava flow (which was riddled with Lava tubes) within 13 months.
In its first full year, 515,378 passengers passed through the new open-air tropical-style terminals. The aquaculture ponds and solar energy experiments at the nearby Natural Energy Laboratory of Hawaii Authority (NELHA) can be seen during landing and take-off.
It was originally known as Ke-āhole Airport, since the ʻāhole fish (Kuhlia sandvicensis) was found nearby.[5][6]
The main runway was extended in 1993 to make it the largest in the Hawaiian Islands outside of Honolulu, when it was renamed Keāhole-Kona International Airport.[7]
In 1997 it officially became known as the Kona International Airport at Keāhole.
Japan Airlines operated a Kona-Tokyo flight from 1996 to 2010, which was Hawaii Island's only scheduled international service.[8]
Kona International at Keahole Airport covers an area of 2,700 acres (1,100 ha) at an elevation of 47 feet (14 m) above mean sea level. It has one runway designated 17/35 with an asphalt surface measuring 11,000 by 150 feet (3,353 x 46 m).[1]
The state government of Hawaiʻi facility operates a runway and a terminal complex of single story buildings along the eastern edge of the airfield for arriving and departing passengers, air cargo and mail, airport support, and general aviation operations.
Kona International is the only remaining major airport in the Hawaiian Islands where a mobile ramp is used to plane and deplane passengers. Kona International sees daily 717, 737, 757, 767, and 777 aircraft, as well as smaller inter-island aircraft, and general private aviation. The airport terminal is a rambling, open-air set of structures. Long after other airports in Hawaiʻi converted their terminals to multi-story buildings with automated jetway systems, Hawaiian Airlines could still utilize their DC-9 fleet's tailcone exits at Kailua-Kona.
An environmental impact statement was prepared in 2005 to add a second runway. The United States Air Force investigated building a second 3,950 ft (1,200 m) runway in 2009. This would be used for practicing landing C-17 military cargo planes on a short runway.[9] Although the 11,000 ft (3,353 m) runway allows flights to Japan and Chicago, it is the only major airport in Hawaii with a single runway.
For the 12-month period ending May 31, 2007, the airport had 150,624 aircraft operations, an average of 412 per day: 50% general aviation, 22% scheduled commercial, 15% air taxi, and 13% military. At that time there were 59 aircraft based at this airport: 68% single-engine, 14% multi-engine, 14% helicopter, 2% glider and 3% ultralight.[1]
| Airlines | Destinations |
|---|---|
| Air Canada | Seasonal: Vancouver |
| Alaska Airlines | Oakland, San Jose (CA), Seattle/Tacoma Seasonal: Portland (OR) [10] |
| American Airlines | Los Angeles |
| Delta Air Lines | Los Angeles |
| go! Mokulele operated by Mesa Airlines | Honolulu, Kahului |
| Hawaiian Airlines | Honolulu, Kahului |
| Island Air | Kahului |
| Kona Shuttle operated by KaiserAir | Oakland |
| Mokulele Airlines | Kahului |
| Pacific Wings | Kahului |
| United Airlines | Denver, Los Angeles, San Francisco |
| US Airways | Phoenix |
| WestJet | Seasonal: Vancouver |
| Rank | City | Passengers | Carriers |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Honolulu, HI | 651,000 | go!, Hawaiian |
| 2 | Los Angeles, CA | 195,000 | American, Delta, United |
| 3 | San Francisco, CA | 113,000 | United |
| 4 | Kahului, HI | 110,000 | Hawaiian, Island, Mokulele, Pacific Wings |
| 5 | Seattle, WA | 63,000 | Alaska |
| 6 | Phoenix, AZ | 49,000 | US Airways |
| 7 | San Jose, CA | 27,000 | Alaska |
| 8 | Oakland, CA | 22,000 | Alaska |
| 9 | Denver, CO | 14,000 | United |
| 10 | Portland, OR | 12,000 | Alaska |
A small museum, the Astronaut Ellison S. Onizuka Space Center,[14] is located between the passenger terminals at the airport. It is named in honor of Kona-born Ellison Onizuka who died in 1986 on the Space Shuttle Challenger. The displays include a sample of lunar soil, a space suit from Apollo 13, and personal items from Ellison Onizuka. An admission fee is charged.[15]
Prior to the 1970 airport expansion, tourism was centered on Hawaii's East side and more specifically the town of Hilo. Tourists wanting to go to the Kona side of the Island typically flew into Hilo's airport and drove across the island. As recently as 1968 Kona Village Resort didn't have road access let alone a large airport nearby. [16] This lack of infrastructure was not tolerable, particularly after the completion of the Royal Kona Resort in 1968. [17]
When the airport opened in 1970, it helped accelerate a shift of tourism from East Hawaii to West Hawaii. Tourism in Hilo had already taken a hit when a tsunami wiped out all sea-side hotels in 1960.[18]
The full extent of the airport's impact and shift in tourism can be seen in Hawaii Island Strategic Plan for 2006 to 2015. By 2005, the percentage of accommodations on the West side increased to 86% of the total. In 2005 just 4 modest hotels continued to serve the East side of Hawaii, with 3 of them dating back to the 1960's[19]
The success of the Kona International Airport in drawing tourism to the West side of Hawaii has been a mixed blessing. Tourism has also helped fuel Hawaii County's overall population growth. Between 1990 and 2010 the population increased 48%.[20]
Kona Airport's master plan, completed in 2010, calls for the addition of a second runway while keeping the option to extend the airport's primary runway to 12,000 feet if required. According to the master plan, the ultimate goal of having two runways would be to maximize the runways' airfield capability and ensure that a runway is always in service if one needs to be closed temporarily for emergencies, maintenance or construction. In addition, a second-level concourse with jetways would be built to better facilitate overseas (U.S. mainland and international) flights.[21]
|
||||||||||||||||||||