Kona airport closed due to runway cracks; Hawaiian cancels flights

UPDATE: 8:15 p.m.

Hawaiian Airlines said it is canceling its remaining flights to and from Kona this evening due to the State of Hawaii’s closure of the runway at Kona airport for emergency repairs.

In a statement tonight, Hawaiian said, “Currently, five interisland flights and our flight to Los Angeles from Kona have been impacted. Guests booked to travel to or from Kona later this evening should not come to the airport. We are working closely with the state to determine when the runway will reopen and will provide further updates – including for travel tomorrow – as soon as they are available.”

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The state Department of Transportation shut down the Ellison Onizuka Kona International Airport at Keahole at 4:20 p.m. today to assess cracks on the runway.

DOT spokesman Russell Pang said crews are examining the runway to determine how much of it is usable. But no estimated time was given for when the airport will reopen.

In the meantime a number of airlines have had to delay or divert their aircraft because of the Kona closure. Diversion include a Southwest Airlines flight from Las Vegas, an American Airlines flight from Los Angeles and a United Airlines flight from Denver. Nearly a dozen interisland flights have been delayed.

Passengers are advised to check with their airline before heading to the airport.

Pang said the department is working with contractors to mill and resurface the area impacted by the cracks.

A project to reconstruct the entire 11,000-foot runway had been scheduled for this year, but cracks developed and the degradation of the runway pavement accelerated due to recent rains, he said.

Additional information will be provided as it becomes available.