KAILUA-KONA — Gov. David Ige on Thursday announced the reopening of the federal inspection service at Kona International Airport, paving the way for the state’s second international gateway.
KAILUA-KONA — Gov. David Ige on Thursday announced the reopening of the federal inspection service at Kona International Airport, paving the way for 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.
And that, officials said, should increase 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, a customs area where passengers and baggage from foreign countries can be screened, that didn’t meet federal security requirements.
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 Department of Transportation asked that Customs and Border Protection approve the revival of the temporary inspection station in Kona.
In June, Ige said during a West Hawaii town hall meeting that the state committed to replacing the existing inspections facility with a permanent facility within five years.
DOT Director Ford Fuchigami also said at that time that a contract was awarded for $4 million in design funds.
Ige said the state is headed toward its fifth consecutive 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.”
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.
The new station also is 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.
Email Cameron Miculka at cmiculka@westhawaiitoday.com.