Flights to Hawaii: Kona International Airport closed 'indefinitely' after cracks appear on runway - latest updates

An airport in Hawaii has closed and grounded all flights for the foreseeable future after cracks appeared on its runway. The Hawaii Department of Transportation confirmed that it temporarily shut down the runway at Ellison Onizuka Kona International Airport at around 4.20pm yesterday (Monday 15 January) to assess cracks that had emerged.

Officials had initially hoped that it might be able to keep operating flights around the cracks but after assessing the usable length of the runway it was determined that the entire runway would have to remain closed until emergency repairs are carried out. According to the state Transportation Department, the cracks were a previously known issue but they worsened due to bad weather that hit the Big Island earlier this week. 

The state Transportation Department said: “Cracks had developed and the runway pavement degradation had accelerated due to the recent rains.” It is unclear at this time how long the airport will be closed.

The State is currently reviewing whether the runway will be able to reopen and operate while repairs and construction are on-going. Passengers with flights into or out of Kona’s airport are being advised to check with their airline about the status of flights for this week.

This morning (Tuesday 16 January) the official page for the Hawaii Tourism Authority (HTA), the state’s Hawaii’s agency for managing tourism, posted on the social media platform X, formerly Twitter: “HTA has already authorised funding to address any passenger comfort needs at Kona airport. Our partners at the Visitor Aloha Society of Hawaii on each island are standing by to assist further if needed.

“We are looking at how we can further support passengers in Kona this evening, as well as passengers in the air headed to Kona diverted to other airports. We will share information as soon as we have it. Passengers are encouraged to contact their airline for info on their flights.”

Passengers who have been impacted by the airport’s closure have also taken to X to share their frustrations. One user wrote: “If you’ve known there were cracks, why didn’t you give us travellers a bigger heads-up that you would be closing down the airport?!”. Another posted: “Stuck in Kona. The airport is closed indefinitely.”