Mokulele expands Waimea service

Mokulele Airlines will make state history next week when it initiates the first-ever commercial service out of Kalaeloa Airport in Leeward Oahu.

In the meantime the rest of the Kona-based carrier’s operations keep growing as well.

Mokulele said Thursday it is expanding its service between Kamuela-Waimea on Hawaii island and Kahului, Maui, by adding a third daily round-trip flight to meet demand. 

The airline began offering service from Waimea, as it is more commonly known, in September after being awarded a $1.76 million Essential Air Service contract from the U.S. Department of Transportation. The EAS program provides federal subsidies to airlines to encourage them to provide service for small and underserved communities.

Since Mokulele initiated the service, air traffic has grown more in Waimea than in any other EAS market in Hawaii in the past two years, the carrier said. Mokulele expects to fly more than 12,000 passengers in its first year of operation from Waimea compared with approximately 50 flown by Pacific Wings over a similar time period. Mokulele will now offer 42 weekly flights between the two destinations, 24 of which are subsidized by the EAS program.

"Because of the EAS program, we’re now able to increase flights and hopefully grow Kamuela off of the EAS subsidy program by the end of our four-year agreement," Mokulele Chief Executive Officer Ron Hansen said. 

On Tuesday, Mokulele will launch three daily nonstop round-trip flights between Kalaeloa Airport — the former Barbers Point Naval Air Station — and Kahului. Among the dignitaries scheduled to be on hand is Lt. Gov. Shan Tsutsui, a Maui resident.