Mokulele Airlines is suspending its daily flight between Hilo and Kahului, and adding a daily flight to Molokai as well as an evening flight between Kahului and Kona, according to a news release.

What You Need To Know

  • Mokulele will stop flying between Hilo and Kahului on Aug. 1

  • The planes that once flew this route will now be deployed to fly to Molokai and Lanai during peak demand

  • Mokulele is also adding an evening flight between Kahului and Kona

Mokulele, which is a subsidiary of Florida-based Southern Airways, will stop flying between Hilo and Kahului on Aug. 1. Passengers who previously purchased tickets on this route for travel after Aug. 1 will be offered refunds or placed on Hawaiian Airlines flights at no extra charge. 

The airline started flying between Hilo and Kahului after the COVID-19 pandemic started because Hawaiian Airlines suspended its flight. Now that Hawaiian Airlines has resumed its service to Kahului, Mokulele said they had seen their passenger counts on this route drop. 

The planes that once flew this route will now be deployed to fly to Molokai and Lanai during peak demand. The airline is the only carrier that flies to Molokai and Lanai. In 2021, Hawaiian Airlines stopped flying to these islands. 

“There will be one daily midday flight added to Molokai. The other flights will be added as needed on a daily basis, so the times will fluctuate,” Mokulele spokesperson Keith Sisson told Spectrum News in an email. 

In March, after Molokai and Lanai residents complained of flight cancellations and delays, Mokulele Airlines said it would “step up” service, according to our news partner, Honolulu Civil Beat. The airline added a new 28-seat plane to its fleet and reassigned aircraft to fly to Molokai and Lanai when needed.

Mokulele is also adding an evening flight between Kahului and Kona. Other inter-island carriers do not have any non-stop flights between Maui and Hawaii Island after 5 p.m., so adding an evening route will accommodate passengers looking for same-day connections, the news release said. 

“In so many ways, our service in the Hawaiian Islands has been about filling voids when other carriers leave, and that’s a role we are honored to fill,” said Stan Little, chairman and CEO of Mokulele, in the news release. 

Michelle Broder Van Dyke covers the Hawaiian Islands for Spectrum News Hawaii. Email her at michelle.brodervandyke@charter.com.

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