Start of $75M Kona airport expansion celebrated

KEAHOLE — Constructed in the 1970s, the Kona airport was built to welcome 500,000 travelers per year. Several decades later, state and airport officials are moving forward with the facility’s first expansion to accommodate the 3 million people now filtering through the airport annually.

On Wednesday, airport officials and state dignitaries gathered at the newly renamed Ellison Onizuka Kona International Airport to celebrate the start of the terminal modernization project meant to expand the facility and provide a more user-friendly experience for residents and visitors.

Hawaii State Gov. David Ige said he was committed to what he called a critical project for the airport.

“It will improve passenger experience for non-residents and residents alike,” Ige said, adding that investing in quality infrastructure can make a difference to the Hawaii community. “We will continue to make those investments that will improve quality of life for the Hawaii Island.”

Chauncey Wong Yuen, Department of Transportation Airport Divison Hawaii District manager, said the travel hub has been refurbished and upgraded throughout the years but it has never been expanded.

At the cost of $75 million, the project will tear down a building used as the Astronaut Ellison S. Onizuka Space Center for 24 years to make way for the expansion and improvements.

Improvements include one centralized security area, a six-lane passenger screening checkpoint building to expedite the processing of outbound passengers and reduce the time spent in line.

Baggage screening will also undergo improvements as the new inline baggage handling system will employ an Explosive Detection System for baggage screening, which will improve work efficiency for the Transportation Security Administration and airport operations.

Additional features include new restrooms in both the public area before screening and in the terminal areas. The project also includes two covered bag drop areas for added convenience.

Rep. Cindy Evans, representative for North Kona, North Kohala and South Kohala, said the airport terminal was also like a bus terminal for local residents who use it to travel between the islands.

The project is important, she said, because of the wear and tear that is put on the facility. The airport recently saw the return of international flights when a route from Tokyo landed in December.

“I’m very hopeful in the modernization that it represents the local feeling here,” Evans said. “This project is going to take a lot of effort. It’s been a long time coming — it’s what we want.”

Mary Wheeler, 67, of Ocean View, was waiting to get picked from the airport by her husband Wednesday. She said she hadn’t flown out of the airport in a few years and was surprised at how busy it was.

“I can understand the expansion,” Wheeler said.

Despite the fast-pace of the airport, the Ocean View woman said, she still thinks the facility and its staff are operating smoothly and adapting “pretty well” to the additional flow of traffic and people.

California visitors Michelle Gonzalez, 19, and Carolina Diaz, 18, were near the baggage claim on Wednesday. While Gonzalez has been to Hawaii several times, this was Diaz’s first visit to the Big Island.

Both women love the quaintness of the Kona airport.

“I think the experience of what it is, is part of the visit,” Gonzalez said.

The women didn’t like the idea of the expansion and upgrades. Diaz said another Dallas or Denver airport is not needed.

The improvement is part of the state’s $2.7 billion project to improve facilities at airports statewide. Updates at the Kona airport are slated to be complete in February 2019.