Kona International Airport

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The Kona International Airport at Keahole is an airport located in Kailua -Kona on the island of Hawaii in the U.S. state of Hawaii. He serves the western part of the island.

History

After the first, in 1949, opened the airport of Kailua -Kona had reached its capacity limits, the Hawaiian Department of Transportation adopted a new airport today to build 12 kilometers north located site. Construction began in May 1969 with a first blast for leveling the existing lava underground. In July 1970, the airport was opened as Keahole Airport, named after Keahole Point.

After United Airlines resumed the airport in 1983 in its network infrastructure was further expanded in the wake of a master plan to 1987. Astronaut Ellison S. Onizuka 1990, the Space Center was inaugurated at the airport, will be exhibited in the objects of the deceased at the Challenger astronaut Ellison Shoji Onizuka crash. After the start and runway was extended in February 1993, the airport is in a position to handle even large-capacity aircraft; In April 1993, the Airport at Keahole -Kona International Airport was renamed. Since 1996 it is also possible to dispatch international flights. Therefore, often patterns such as Boeing 717, 737, 757 and 767 can be seen on the ramp.

Operation

From the Kona airport made ​​direct flight connections to destinations all over the Hawaiian Islands and the continental United States. A large proportion of aircraft movements fall within the field of general aviation.

Accidents

In two incidents so far 3 people were killed.

• On August 25, 1977 crashed when landing from a machine of type Short Skyvan. About 2 miles beyond the runway burned off the machine, 2 people died.
• On September 10, 1989, a pilot with an Aero Commander 680 attempted an emergency landing on runway 17 after the performance of the right engine fell off. About half a mile southwest of the runway crashed the machine, next to a seriously injured was a person killed.