Kahului Airport

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Kahului Airport
Starr 050404-5598 Prosopis pallida.jpg
The airport in 2005 before cargo facilities were moved to the wooded area in the picture.
IATA: OGGICAO: PHOGFAA LID: OGG
OGG is located in Hawaii
OGG
OGG
Location of the Kahului Airport
Summary
Airport type Public
Operator Hawaii Department of Transportation
Serves Kahului, Hawaii
Hub for
Elevation AMSL 54 ft / 16 m
Coordinates 20°53′55″N 156°25′50″W / 20.89861°N 156.43056°W / 20.89861; -156.43056 (Kahului Airport)Coordinates: 20°53′55″N 156°25′50″W / 20.89861°N 156.43056°W / 20.89861; -156.43056 (Kahului Airport)
Website hawaii.gov/ogg
Runways
Direction Length Surface
ft m
2/20 6,995 2,132 Asphalt
5/23 4,990 1,521 Asphalt
Helipads
Number Length Surface
ft m
H1 125 38 Asphalt
Statistics (2010)
Aircraft operations 118,896
Passengers 5,346,694
Total Cargo (US tons) 40,015
Source: Kahului Airport[1] Federal Aviation Administration[2]

Kahului Airport (IATA: OGGICAO: PHOGFAA LID: OGG) is a regional airport in the state of Hawai'i, USA, located east of the Kahului CDP in Maui County on the island of Maui near Haleakala.[3] Most flights into Kahului Airport originate from Honolulu International Airport; the Honolulu–Kahului corridor is one of the busiest air routes in the US, ranking 13th in 2004 with 1,632,000 passengers.[4]

The airport code pays homage to aviation pioneer Bertram J. Hogg who worked for what is now Hawaiian Airlines flying aircraft ranging from eight-passenger Sikorsky S-38 amphibians to Douglas DC-3s and DC-9s into the late 1960s.[5]

Authority[edit]

Kahului Airport is part of a centralized state structure governing all of the airports and seaports of Hawai'i. The official authority of Kahului Airport is the Governor of Hawai'i. The governor appoints the Director of the Hawai'i State Department of Transportation, who has jurisdiction over the Hawai'i Airports Administrator.

The Hawai'i 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 Hawai'i: Hawai'i District, Kaua'i District, Mau'i District and the principal O'ahu District. Kahului Airport is a subordinate of Mau'i District officials.

Facilities and aircraft[edit]

The Kahului Airport terminal building has ticketing, USDA agricultural inspection, and baggage claim areas on the ground level.

Eighteen jetways are available for enplaning or deplaning passengers (there are six gate hold areas designated A–F with three jetways each). Gates with odd numbers have jetway systems, while gates with even numbers are designated as emergency exits and have stairs that leads to the tarmac below.

Most of the gates were spaced to handle narrow-body aircraft like the Boeing 717 and Boeing 737 used on inter-island flights. In 1982–83 Kahului started receiving nonstop flights from the mainland United States; these now use wide-body aircraft like the Boeing 767 and Boeing 777, along with the Boeing 737-700, Boeing 737-800, Boeing 737-900, and Boeing 757. The smaller aircraft used on inter-island flights fit at all gates, while the larger overseas airliners cannot.

The airport is going through expansion authorized by the Hawai'i State Legislature. A goal has been set to prepare Kahului Airport to eventually become a permanent international airport with service routes from Canada and Japan.[citation needed] Current flights from Canada use United States border preclearance facilities in Vancouver, Calgary or Edmonton.

Kahului Airport covers 1,391 acres (563 ha) at an elevation of 54 feet (16 m) above mean sea level. It has two asphalt runways: 2/20 is 6,995 × 150 feet (2,132 × 46 m) and 5/23 is 4,990 × 150 feet (1,521 × 46 m). It also has an asphalt helipad designated H1 measuring 125 × 125 feet (38 × 38 m).[2] Most commercial flights use runway 2.

In 2010, the airport handled 5,346,694 passengers and 118,896 aircraft movements.[1]

Expansion[edit]

As a result of the passage of Hawai'i State Legislature bills in 1998 and 2001, Kahului is planned to undergo expansion for new, larger facilities, lengthening of runways, increasing of fuel storage capacities, and construction of new access roads. The controversial project has met opposition from residents who do not agree with the elevation of Kahului Airport to a permanent international airport. Project opponents cite concerns about increased introduction of invasive species and other issues, as evidenced by the common Maui bumper sticker "Big city airport, big city problems."

In early 2005, Governor Linda Lingle released $365 million for construction of an extended ticketing lobby, new baggage claim carousels, a new Alien Species building, a new cargo building, construction of a new apron, construction of an additional 10 jetways to replace the current jetways, and a new six-lane airport access road that would run from the airport, intersecting Haleakala Highway and Hana Highway, and run parallel to Dairy Road where it would merge with a new grade-separated interchange between Puunene Avenue (highway 350), Dairy Road, and Kuihelani Highway (highway 380).[6]

Airlines and destinations[edit]

Airlines Destinations
Air Canada Vancouver
Seasonal: Calgary
Alaska Airlines Oakland, Portland (OR), Sacramento, San Diego, San Jose (CA), Seattle/Tacoma
Seasonal: Anchorage, Bellingham
Allegiant Air Bellingham
American Airlines Dallas/Fort Worth, Los Angeles
Delta Air Lines Los Angeles
go! operated by Mesa Airlines Honolulu (ends April 1, 2014), Kailua-Kona (ends April 1, 2014), Lihue (ends April 1, 2014)
Hawaiian Airlines Hilo, Honolulu, Kailua-Kona, Los Angeles (resumes May 2, 2014),[7] Lihue, Oakland, San Jose (CA), Seattle/Tacoma
Island Air Honolulu
Mokulele Airlines Hana, Honolulu, Kailua-Kona, Molokaʻi, Waimea-Kohala
United Airlines Denver, Los Angeles, San Francisco
Seasonal: Chicago-O'Hare
US Airways Phoenix
WestJet Vancouver
WestJet
operated by Thomas Cook
Seasonal: Calgary, Edmonton

Top destinations[edit]

Busiest domestic routes from OGG (December 2012 – November 2013)[8]
Rank City Passengers Carriers
1 Honolulu, HI 1,038,000 go!, Hawaiian, Island Air
2 Los Angeles, CA 443,000 American, Delta, United
3 Seattle, WA 186,000 Alaska, Hawaiian
4 San Francisco, CA 153,000 United
5 Oakland, CA 131,000 Alaska, Hawaiian
6 San Jose, CA 125,000 Alaska, Hawaiian
7 Kona, HI 123,000 Go!, Hawaiian, Mokulele
8 Lihue, HI 108,000 Hawaiian, Go!, Island Air
9 Phoenix, AZ 85,000 US Airways
10 Portland, OR 83,000 Alaska

Top carriers[edit]

Largest carriers (Aug 2012 – July 2013)[9]

Rank Airline Passengers (Aug 2012–July 2013)
1 Hawaiian Airlines 2,904,000
2 Alaska Airlines 829,000
3 United Airlines 742,000
4 American Airlines 404,000
5 Delta Air Lines 229,000

Public transport[edit]

Maui Bus operates two routes that stop at Kahului Airport. Route 35 Haiku Islander and Route 40 Upcountry Islander stop at the airport, both as a third stop from Queen Kaahumanu Center in Kahului, and third to last stop going back to Kahului. Route 35 connects the airport with Paia and Haiku, while Route 40 connects Pukalani, Makawao, and Haliimaile to the airport.[10][11]

Incidents[edit]

Aloha Airlines Flight 243

On April 28, 1988, Aloha Airlines Flight 243, a Boeing 737-200 interisland flight from Hilo Airport to Honolulu International Airport carrying 89 passengers and six crew members experienced rapid decompression when an 18 foot section of the fuselage roof and sides were torn from the aircraft. A flight attendant was sucked out of the aircraft and died. Several passengers sustained life-threatening injuries including massive head wounds. The aircraft declared an emergency and landed at Kahului Airport. Noise created by the rush of air rendered vocal communication useless, and the pilots had to use hand signals during landing.

Investigations of the disaster, headquartered at Honolulu International Airport, concluded that the accident was caused by metal fatigue. The disaster caused almost all major United States air carriers to retire their oldest aircraft models.[citation needed]

Aloha Island Air Flight 1712

On October 28, 1989, Aloha Island Air Flight 1712, a de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter aircraft, collided with mountainous terrain near Halawa Valley, Molokai, while en route on a scheduled passenger flight from Kahului Airport to Molokai Airport in Hoolehua.

The NTSB determined the cause of the accident was the airplane's controlled flight into terrain as a result of the decision of the captain to continue the flight under visual flight rules at night into instrument meteorological conditions, which obscured rising mountainous terrain.[12]

All 20 aboard the aircraft died. Thirteen of the victims were from Molokai, including eight members of the Molokai High School boys and girls volleyball teams and two faculty members. The girls team had just qualified on Maui for the state tournament.[13]

Hawaii Air Ambulance

On March 8, 2006, a Hawaii Air Ambulance Cessna 414 was making an approach to Runway 5 when it crashed into a BMW dealership just a mile outside of the airport. A pilot and two nurses were killed in the accident.[14]

References[edit]

External links[edit]