Ellison Onizuka Kona International Airport at Keahole on Tuesday welcomed its first direct international flight in over two years with the touchdown of a Boeing 767-300 from Tokyo.
The wide-body jet landed shortly after 11 a.m. with its 177 passengers greeted by Gov. David Ige and his wife, Dawn, along with other dignitaries, including Hawaii Tourism Authority President and CEO John De Fries.
“This is like welcoming home family after a long absence,” said De Fries.
The passengers were guided through the recently opened $58.7 million Federal Inspection Service facility and screened by U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents. After receiving clearance, travelers received lei and were treated to Hawaiian music, hula and sampling of gifts from local companies to mark the return of the flight.
“This is an opportunity to become a new port of entry for international travelers,” said Ige. “With the return of Japan Airlines we can expect thousands of visitors from Japan and other international destinations to return to Hawaii Island, and we know it will make a big, big difference to the economy of this island.”
Before the COVID-19 pandemic took hold in March 2020, as many as 2,500 international visitors arrived at the state’s second international entry point each week on Hawaiian Airlines and Japan Airlines flights direct from Japan.
In January 2020, more than 16,200 passengers from Japan came to Hawaii Island, with over 10,000 of them flying nonstop to Kona. According to Hawaii Tourism Authority monthly statistics, each Japanese visitor to the state that month stayed about six days, spending about $240 per day.
Those figures dropped to near zero when the direct flights to Kona were suspended in late March 2020.
The resumption of the thrice-weekly Flight 770 between Narita International Airport in Tokyo and Ellison Onizuka Kona International Airport at Keahole in Kailua-Kona follows direct flights by several airlines resuming between Japan and the Daniel K. Inouye International Airport last month. That all came after the Japanese government effective June 1 dropped its testing and quarantine requirements for travelers from the U.S., essentially reopening travel to the islands.
After the loosening of the requirements, Hawaii saw 11,940 visitors from Japan in June, albeit only 10% of the 126,592 that came in June 2019. Those visitors spent about $244 per person per day, according to the Hawaii Tourism Authority.
“International travel remains a vital component of Hawaii’s regenerative future as we gradually welcome back higher-spending travelers whose values are aligned with our mission of ‘Malama Ku‘u Home’ (caring for my beloved home). Today’s re-launch of service complements the steady return of flights we have been seeing over the past few months from our key international source markets – Japan, Canada, Korea, Australia, and New Zealand — and those we anticipate coming back online through the end of the year,” said De Fries.
State Department of Transportation Director Jade Butay also welcomed Japan Airlines and Japanese visitors on the direct flight back to Hawaii Island.
“What makes today more special is our newly built Federal Inspection Building, which will start seeing visitors on a regular basis,” he said. “We know our visitors from Japan enjoy the natural beauty the island has to offer. They are also interested in immersing themselves in the native culture.”
Mayor Mitch Roth was also on the flight, returning from a trip visiting Hawaii County’s sister cities in Japan.
“Hula is a huge deal in Japan. There are over two million hula dancers in Japan. When the Japanese people study hula, they just don’t study the dance, the study the culture and really adopt the aloha spirit. What’s really great about our Japanese friends and family that are coming here, they are really what we are looking for as we think about tourism. They want to be respectful,” he said. “This is the kind of market we should be aiming at.”