Cracks in the sole runway are causing large-scale disruptions at Kona Airport. At this stage, little information is known, but as of this writing – 7:30 pm HST – the Ellison Onizuka Kona International Airport remains closed until further notice.
The Ellison Onizuka Kona International Airport at Keahole (try saying that 10 times fast – and will hence be referred to as KOA) had a huge setback in its operations. On Monday, officials discovered cracking in its runway, which triggered large-scale disruptions at Kona Airport. Unfortunately, details about what happened and will continue to happen remain scant. However, I’ll do my best to let you guys know what’s going on right now.
Large-Scale Disruptions at Kona Airport
At 4:20 pm HST, on Monday, January 15, 2024, the Hawaii Department of Transportation Airport Division announced that it discovered cracks in KOA’s runway. This triggered the immediate closure of the airport, causing large-scale disruptions at Kona Airport. Numerous flights were delayed, canceled, or diverted as officials worked to figure out what had happened.
So what did happen? Well, last week, Hawaii got pummeled by intense rain storms and unusually cold temperatures. This rain apparently accelerated “pavement degradation,” taking rather benign cracking and expanding them to ones large enough to force the closure of the runway.
What Happens Next?
The State DOT managed to get a contractor on-site last night and expects emergency repair work to be completed by sunrise this morning. However, because of the uncertainty of the situation, officials says passengers should check with their airline to find out the status of their flight.
Final Thoughts
Needless to say, the situation at hand is very bad. KOA is a very busy airport, and is one of only two international gateways in Hawaii. Of course, the longer the airport remains closed, the worse the situation will get. Already, hundreds of passengers are being stranded in Honolulu, with numerous flights operated by American, Delta, and United being diverted there, while Hawaiian Airlines canceled all remaining flights for the day after 7 pm HST.
As you can imagine, this means that there will be tons of people. several aircraft, and crews that need to be moved about when things begin to reopen. So even if things return to normal tomorrow, your flight might still be impacted. This means that you should definitely check with your airline before heading to the airport if you’re flying into or out of KOA any time soon.
I wonder, though, why aren’t some flights being diverted to Hilo? The airport can certainly handle A321neos and Boeing 737s. I suppose it’s because Honolulu has far more hotel capacity than Hilo does, but still. They could bus people from Hilo to Kona, right? At least they’d be on the intended island.