Kona airport customs, immigration ready for new Japan flight

KAILUA-KONA — Gov. David Ige Thursday announced from Honolulu the reopening of the federal inspection service at the Kona International Airport at Keahole, paving the way as the state’s second international gateway.

The service will accommodate the return of international flights to Kona when Hawaiian Airlines begins its service between Kona and Haneda Airport in Tokyo. Starting Dec. 20, the airline will begin thrice-weekly flights, opening up West Hawaii to regular international visitors for the first time since October 2010.

The first flight from Tokyo is expected to arrive in Kona on Dec. 21.

And that, officials said, should increase in tourism dramatically.

“Establishing the second federal inspection service facility in Hawaii really does increase capacity for international travel into Hawaii,” the governor said.

Japan Airlines’ withdrawal of service from Kona in 2010 was followed by the closing of an inspections station that didn’t meet federal security requirements. The federal inspection service is a customs area where passengers and baggage from foreign countries can be screened.

The need to reopen federal inspections in Kona became a priority for the governor’s administration earlier this year after the announcement of the new Haneda route.

Once the feds approved the airline’s application for the route, the state’s Department of Transportation asked that Customs and Border Protection approve the revival of the temporary inspection station to Kona.

In June, Ige said at a West Hawaii town hall meeting that the government committed to Customs and Border Protection that “we would replace the existing inspections facility with a permanent facility within five years.”

Transportation Director Ford Fuchigami also said at that time that a contract had been awarded for $4 million in design funds.

On Thursday, Ige announced that the inspection facility would re-open and that the facility will create economic and security benefits for the state.

“The trend in international passengers to Hawaii is expected to continue to grow, enhancing the need for a second airport where our state can accept international flights and welcome travelers from around the world,” the governor said.

Each international flight to Honolulu generates $7 million for the general fund, said Ige, and international travelers also put more money into local businesses. Ige added that the state is currently headed toward a fifth straight record year for the hospitality industry.

“And I really do think that establishing the FIS in Kona will help us keep that momentum and drive to a sixth record year next year,” he said.

Peter Ingram, executive vice president and chief commercial officer for Hawaiian Airlines, agreed. The Tokyo to Kona service will open up what he called the “largest unserved international destination between Hawaii and any point internationally.”

The new route will allow Hawaii to continue to draw visitors from Japan, who “have a longstanding and tremendous affinity for Hawaii,” he said, as Japan is the largest source of international visitors to the state

Each flight is capable of carrying 278 passengers, said Jodi Leong, deputy communications director and press secretary for the governor.

Hawaiian Airlines began providing service to Japan in 2010 with a flight from Haneda to Honolulu, he said, and that service has grown with service to Narita and the new Kona-Haneda route.

“We will grow to a point where we have almost a quarter of all seats that travel between Japan and Hawaii every single day,” Ingram said.

That will bring with it the economic benefits, as well as new jobs.

Ingram said Hawaiian Airlines has already hired 34 new employees to serve the new route.

The new station is also important for security reasons, said Ige.

Without the facility in Kona, in the event a natural disaster or other emergency struck Honolulu and the airport was unable to accept flights, the state would have no alternative for international travelers.