Wednesday, January 17, 2024
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Kona Worldwide Airport in Keahole might reopen this morning at first gentle.
It was closed on Monday afternoon as a result of cracks have been seen within the monitor.
The measure ended up inflicting the cancellation of a number of flights and the diversion of planes certain for Kona. It’s affecting hundreds of passengers.
The airport would stay closed in a single day. It was not doable to function round a broken part of runway. The state Division of Transportation stated this on Monday.
Nonetheless, the division can be working with contractors to mill and resurface a 10-by-10-foot space, and the work is predicted to be accomplished earlier than daybreak.
Passengers with flights scheduled to reach or depart Kona immediately ought to examine with their airline earlier than heading to the airport, the division stated.
On Monday, Hawaiian Airways canceled 5 inter-island flights to Kona and one flight from Los Angeles, affecting about 700 folks, in line with the airline.
“We can be monitoring this in a single day and hope that patches could be made so our flights can depart within the morning,” Hawaiian Airways spokesman Alex Da Silva stated Monday evening.
A number of different airways have been compelled to cancel or divert their planes as a result of Kona closure.
These embody a Southwest Airways flight from Las Vegas, an American Airways flight from Los Angeles and a United Airways flight from Denver.
Flightaware.com indicated that Alaska Airways had six cancellations, together with flights from Seattle and Portland, Oregon. Greater than a dozen interisland flights have been canceled and a few planes waited on the tarmac in Honolulu ready for the airport to reopen.
In line with a earlier assertion from the Division of Transportation, crews have been checking the whole runway for cracks.
A undertaking to rebuild the whole 11,000-foot runway had been scheduled for this yr, however cracks developed and degradation of the runway’s pavement accelerated because of latest rains, in line with the discharge.
The Hawaii Tourism Authority stated it’s carefully monitoring the runway closure and restore efforts.
“KOA is a serious gateway to the island of Hawai’i, serving hundreds of passengers and tons of cargo on inter-island, home and worldwide flights arriving and departing day by day,” HTA stated in an announcement.
HTA President Mufi Hannemann stated, “This might have been uncontrolled, however I am glad the DOT acted huge and was on it.”
Hannemann stated HTA is now the way it can assist passengers in Kona who cannot depart and passengers headed to Kona who’re diverted to Honolulu.
HTA has already approved funding to handle passenger consolation wants on the Kona airport, Hannemann stated. “Our Customer Aloha Society of Hawai’i companions on every island stand prepared to help additional if wanted.”
Earlier Monday, U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, stated he contacted Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg to see if he might assist open the runway.
“We’re working with the FAA to assist resolve this problem as shortly as doable,” Schatz stated in an announcement. Schatz is chairman of the Senate Transportation, Housing and City Growth Appropriations Subcommittee.
Keith Vieira, director of KV &Associates, Hospitality Consulting, referred to as the preliminary uncertainty over the airport closure “very regarding.” It was in all probability too early to immediate customer cancellations, he stated, however the longer the uncertainty goes on, the extra possible cancellations will grow to be a menace.
“The very last thing we’d like is an airport drawback, as a result of we’re a leisure vacation spot and there is just one option to get right here,” Vieira stated.
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