Kapalua Airport
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Kapalua Airport , also known as Kapalua–West Maui Airport, (the sign says Kapalua West Maui Airport at the entrance), is a regional private use airport in the district of Mahinahina on the West side island of
Maui The island of Maui (; Hawaiian: ) is the second-largest of the islands of the state of Hawaii at 727.2 square miles (1,883 km2) and is the 17th largest island in the United States. Maui is the largest of Maui County's four islands, which ...
in Hawaii. It is located five 
nautical mile A nautical mile is a unit of length used in air, marine, and space navigation, and for the definition of territorial waters. Historically, it was defined as the meridian arc length corresponding to one minute ( of a degree) of latitude. Today ...
s (6  mi, 9  km) north of Lahaina, in Maui County. Most flights to Kapalua - West Maui Airport originate from commuter airports on the other Hawaiian islands by commercial commuter services, unscheduled air taxis, and general aviation. As per Federal Aviation Administration records, the airport had 52,328 passenger boardings (enplanements) in
calendar year Generally speaking, a calendar year begins on the New Year's Day of the given calendar system and ends on the day before the following New Year's Day, and thus consists of a whole number of days. A year can also be measured by starting on any o ...
2008, 42,416 enplanements in 2009, and 40,060 in 2010. It is included in the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)
National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems The National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems (NPIAS) is an inventory of U.S. aviation infrastructure assets. NPIAS was developed and now maintained by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). It identifies existing and proposed airports tha ...
for 2017–2021, in which it is
categorized Categorization is the ability and activity of recognizing shared features or similarities between the elements of the experience of the world (such as objects, events, or ideas), organizing and classifying experience by associating them to a ...
as a general aviation facility.


History

Named for the Kapalua Resort a few miles to the north, the airport replaced the
Kaanapali Airport Kaanapali Airport was a small regional airport located on the northwest end of Maui, near the city of Lahaina and north of Kaanapali Beach in Honokōwai. The airport serviced West Maui between 1965 and its closure in 1986. History The exact d ...
, which had an even shorter runway, in 1987 to allow valuable coastal land to be developed. The airport code name JHM stands for John Henry Magoon, who was president of Hawaiian Airlines when that airline developed the airport. Hawaiian operated
de Havilland Canada DHC-7 Dash 7 The de Havilland Canada DHC-7, popularly known as the Dash 7, is a turboprop-powered regional airliner with short take-off and landing (STOL) performance. It first flew in 1975 and remained in production until 1988 when the parent company, d ...
turboprop aircraft on flights to Honolulu. The
STOL A short takeoff and landing (STOL) aircraft is a conventional fixed-wing aircraft that has short runway requirements for takeoff and landing. Many STOL-designed aircraft also feature various arrangements for use on airstrips with harsh conditio ...
capable, four engine, 50-passenger Dash 7 was the largest aircraft ever to operate scheduled passenger flights from the airport. Hawaiian discontinued service to Kapalua when the Dash 7 was retired from its fleet in 1994. According to the Official Airline Guide ( OAG), in late 1989 Hawaiian Airlines and
Aloha Island Air Island Air (officially Hawaii Island Air) was a commuter airline based in Honolulu, Hawaii. It operated scheduled inter-island passenger services in Hawaii. Its main base was the Daniel K. Inouye International Airport on Oahu. The airline main ...
were operating a combined total of up to 30 nonstop flights a day to Honolulu from Kapalua Airport, Hawaiian with Dash 7 aircraft and Aloha Island Air with
de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter The de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter is a Canadian STOL (Short Takeoff and Landing) utility aircraft developed by de Havilland Canada, which produced the aircraft from 1965 to 1988; Viking Air purchased the type certificate, then restarted ...
turboprops with the latter air carrier operating its flights via a
code sharing In communications and information processing, code is a system of rules to convert information—such as a letter, word, sound, image, or gesture—into another form, sometimes shortened or secret, for communication through a communication ...
agreement with Aloha Airlines. In the spring of 1995, Aloha Island Air was the only airline operating nonstop service from Kapalua to Honolulu with 15 daily flights operated with DHC-6 Twin Otter aircraft via its code sharing agreement with Aloha Airlines. By the spring of 1999, Aloha Island Air continued to be only airline operating nonstop service from the airport to Honolulu with eight daily flights operated with
de Havilland Canada DHC-8 The De Havilland Canada DHC-8, commonly known as the Dash 8, is a series of turboprop-powered regional airliners, introduced by de Havilland Canada (DHC) in 1984. DHC was later bought by Boeing in 1988, then by Bombardier in 1992; then ...
Dash 8 turboprops via its code share with Aloha. Aloha Island Air subsequently changed its name to
Island Air (Hawaii) Island Air (officially Hawaii Island Air) was a commuter airline based in Honolulu, Hawaii. It operated scheduled inter-island passenger services in Hawaii. Its main base was the Daniel K. Inouye International Airport on Oahu. The airline mai ...
.
Mahalo Air Mahalo Air was an airline that provided inter-island service within the state of Hawaii between 1993 and 1997. The airline started service on October 4, 1993, using Fokker F27 turboprop aircraft operated by Empire Airlines while awaiting its own ...
, which operated between 1993 and 1997, also served Kapalua with flights to Honolulu using
ATR 42 The ATR 42 is a regional airliner produced by Franco-Italian manufacturer ATR, with final assembly in Toulouse, France. On 4 November 1981, the aircraft was launched with ATR, as a joint venture between French Aérospatiale (now Airbus) and ...
twin turboprop aircraft. Island Air discontinued service to Kapalua on May 31, 2013, when it replaced its fleet of
de Havilland Canada DHC-8 The De Havilland Canada DHC-8, commonly known as the Dash 8, is a series of turboprop-powered regional airliners, introduced by de Havilland Canada (DHC) in 1984. DHC was later bought by Boeing in 1988, then by Bombardier in 1992; then ...
Dash 8s with ATR-72 propjets. On November 2, 2016, Hawaiian Airlines announced they would resume service at Kapalua Airport beginning January 18, 2017 with flights to Honolulu and Kahului. Flights were to be operated by Hawaiian Air's
Ohana by Hawaiian Ohana by Hawaiian was a regional subsidiary carrier of Hawaiian Airlines. The service was operated using four ATR 42 turboprop airplanes owned by Hawaiian and operated under contract by Empire Airlines. The new service was slated to begin in summ ...
subsidiary utilizing 48-seat ATR 42-500 twin turboprop aircraft. On November 15, 2016, Hawaiian Airlines announced that it was temporarily suspending sales of its Honolulu to West Maui service pending securing a TSA presence at Kapalua Airport. On January 11, 2017, Hawaiian Airlines announced they expect to resume service at Kapalua West Maui Airport by late March. On January 27, 2017, Hawaiian Airlines resumed selling tickets to and from Kapalua West Maui Airport, with service beginning March 1, 2017. On March 25, 2020, Hawaiian Airlines suspended service to and from Kapalua West Maui Airport as part of its system wide reduction in service due to the COVID-19 pandemic.


Facilities and aircraft

Kapalua Airport is governed by a special agreement made by the state with Maui County. A former, privately owned airport, major changes or improvements to Kapalua Airport cannot be made without the consent of the Maui County Council. The county insists on limiting development to preserve the Kapalua community from commercialization. Kapalua Airport is restricted to a single runway, a couple of terminal facilities and support facilities. There are no air cargo facilities. Operations are restricted to daytime hours only. Passengers departing on 'Ohana Airlines will pass through TSA screening. Passengers departing on Mokulele Airlines are not screened by TSA. The United States Department Of Agriculture maintains an inspection station from 7:30 am to 1:45 pm. Passengers whose final destination is the U.S. mainland must have their checked bags inspected and tagged if they are checking their bags through to their final U.S. mainland destination. Passengers departing Kapalua Airport on flights departing after 1:45 pm will be unable to check their bags through to U.S. mainland destinations and will have to collect their checked bags at baggage claim in Honolulu, have them inspected by Honolulu U.S.D.A., check in at their Honolulu Airport airline's ticket counter, and pass through TSA security in Honolulu to continue on to their final U.S. mainland destination. Agricultural inspection is only required for bags departing Hawaii bound for the U.S. mainland. There is a snack bar offering a variety of light snacks, meals, and beverages. The airport covers an area of 50
acre The acre is a unit of land area used in the imperial Imperial is that which relates to an empire, emperor, or imperialism. Imperial or The Imperial may also refer to: Places United States * Imperial, California * Imperial, Missouri * Imp ...
s (20 ha) at an elevation of 256 feet (78 m) above mean sea level. It has one runway designated 2/20 with an asphalt surface measuring 3,000 by 100 feet (914 x 30 m). For the 12-month period ending December 31, 2004, the airport had 9,990 aircraft operations, an average of 27 per day: 51% scheduled commercial and 49% air taxi.


Statistics


Airlines and destinations

The following airlines offer scheduled passenger service: Big Island Air and Royal Pacific Air provide unscheduled, on-demand charter flights and tours.


Authority

Kapalua Airport is part of a centralized state structure governing all of the airports and seaports of Hawaii. The official authority of Kapalua Airport is the Governor of Hawaii who appoints the Director of the
Hawaii Department of Transportation The Hawaii Department of Transportation (HDOT) is a state government organization which oversees transportation in the U.S. state of Hawaii. The agency is divided into three divisions dealing with aviation, maritime, and roads. HDOT Divisions Ai ...
who has jurisdiction over the Hawaii Airports Administrator. The Hawaii Airports Administrator oversees six governing bodies: Airports Operations Office, Airports Planning Office, Engineering Branch, Information Technology Office, Staff Services Office, Visitor Information Program Office. Collectively, the six bodies have authority over the four airport districts in Hawaii: Hawaii Island District, Kauai District, Maui District and the principal Oahu District. Kapalua Airport is a subordinate of the Maui District officials.


References


External links


Hawaii DOT page for Kapalua Airport
* {{authority control Buildings and structures in Maui County, Hawaii Airports in Hawaii Transportation in Maui County, Hawaii Airports established in 1987 1987 establishments in Hawaii