Hawaii Aviation

HONOLULU -The state Department of Transportation Airports Division (DOTA) applauds the four-year renewal of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) that will provide an estimated $6 million in additional funding each year for Hawaii’s airports. The law was signed by President Barack Obama on February 14, 2012. The additional funding will come from the FAA Airport Improvement Program and will be used for capital improvement and basic maintenance projects at airports statewide.

“The Department of Transportation owes a debt of gratitude to Congresswoman Mazie Hirono,” said state Transportation Director Glenn Okimoto. “The congresswoman authored an amendment that provides our airports with these critical additional funds. Efforts like this from our congressional delegation are vital to the department and the people of Hawaii.”

The amendment by Hirono requires the FAA to take into account the number of interisland passengers when calculating Hawaii’s annual share of Airport Improvement Program grants. Interisland passengers were not part of the equation because Passenger Facility Charges, which fund the Airport Improvement Program, are not collected for interisland travel. “The new FAA accounting of interisland passengers will provide a more accurate picture of how many travelers are using Hawaii’s airports, allowing for greater federal funding for improvements and maintenance projects.

The law also preserves the Essential Air Service Program which provides affordable air service to the residents of Kalaupapa, Molokai.

The DOTA operates 15 airports statewide that serve an average of 25 million passengers a year.

The full text of House Resolution 658, FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012, is available online at https://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/BILLS-112hr658enr/pdf/BILLS-112hr658enr.pdf.

The FAA will now take into account interisland passengers when calculating Hawaii’s annual share of Airport Improvement Program grants.