Waimea-Kohala Airport

Waimea-Kohala Airport (IATA: MUE, ICAO: PHMU, FAA LID: MUE) is a state-owned public-use airport located one nautical mile (2 km) southwest of Kamuela[1][2] (also known as Waimea), an unincorporated town in Hawai‘i County, Hawai‘i, United States.

Waimea-Kohala Airport

Kahua Mokulele o Waimea-Kohala
Summary
Airport typePublic
OwnerHawaii Department of Transportation
ServesKamuela, Hawaii
Elevation AMSL2,671 ft / 814 m
Coordinates20°00′05″N 155°40′05″W
WebsiteHawaii.gov/MUE
Map
MUE
Location of airport in Hawaii
Runways
Direction Length Surface
ft m
4/22 5,197 1,584 Asphalt
Statistics (2009)
Aircraft operations2,000
Based aircraft11
Sources: Hawaii DOT,[1] FAA[2]

Hawaiian Airlines began scheduled passenger service from the airport in November 1953.[3] At present the only scheduled air service is by Mokulele Airlines, which offers twice daily service to Kahului, Maui (OGG).[4]

As per Federal Aviation Administration records, the airport had 407 passenger boardings (enplanements) in calendar year 2008,[5] 313 enplanements in 2009, and 47 in 2010.[6] It is included in the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2017–2021, in which it is categorized as a non-primary commercial service facility.[7]

Facilities and aircraft

Waimea-Kohala Airport covers an area of 90 acres (36 ha) at an elevation of 2,671 feet (814 m) above mean sea level. It has one runway designated 4/22 with an asphalt surface measuring 5,197 by 100 feet (1,584 by 30 m).[2]

The airport has one taxiway and an aircraft parking apron at the west end of the runway serving the passenger terminal and general aviation facilities. No fueling or airport traffic control tower facilities are provided. An aircraft rescue and fire fighting facility shares space in the airport maintenance facility.

For the 12-month period ending December 31, 2009, the airport had 2,000 aircraft operations, an average of 38 per week: 39% scheduled commercial, 33% air taxi, 25% general aviation, and 3% military. At that time there were 11 aircraft based at this airport: 64% single-engine and 36% glider.[2]

Airline and destination
AirlinesDestinations
Mokulele Airlines Kahului

Mokulele Airlines serves the airport with Cessna 208EX Grand Caravan commuter turboprop aircraft.[8]

Previously, Pacific Wings operated service to Honolulu and Kahului. Originally subsidized by the Essential Air Service program, Pacific Wings began serving Waimea-Kohala without subsidy on April 1, 2007.[9] By May 2013, when reports emerged the airline was ending all service in Hawaii, the airline had already ceased serving Waimea-Kohala Airport.[10] Mokulele Airlines, Schuman Aviation, and Pacific Wings submitted bids to the DOT to provide service at the airport, however only Mokulele and Schuman have proposed actual flights—Pacific Wings suggested two buses a day to Kona. On July 2, 2013 the US DOT awarded the contract to Mokulele Airlines for service to Kahului.[11] Mokulele began operating flights to Waimea-Kohala on September 21, 2013.[12]

Historical airline service

The airport previously had scheduled passenger jet service operated by Aloha Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines, both of which referred to the airport as Kamuela in their respective system timetables during the 1960s. In 1966, Hawaiian Airlines was operating a daily Douglas DC-9-10 jet flight with a routing of Hilo (ITO) - Kamuela (MUE) - Kahului, Maui (OGG) - Honolulu (HNL) and was also serving the airport with Convair 640 turboprops on flights to Honolulu, Maui and Kona at this time.[13] In 1968, Aloha Airlines was flying daily British Aircraft Corporation BAC One-Eleven jet service with a routing of Kamuela (MUE) - Kahului, Maui (OGG) - Honolulu (HNL) and was also operating flights with Vickers Viscount turboprops with daily nonstop service from Honolulu with this flight continuing on to Kona (KOA) at this time.[14] In 1976, Hawaiian Airlines was operating daily McDonnell Douglas DC-9-30 jet service into the airport with a round trip routing of HNL-OGG-MUE.[15] By 1981, Hawaiian Airlines was serving the airport with de Havilland Canada DHC-7 Dash 7 turboprops on nonstop flights between Waimea and Kahului, Maui and Honolulu.[16]

References
  1. "Waimea-Kohala Airport, Kamuela, Hawaii". Hawaii Department of Transportation. Retrieved August 13, 2010.
  2. FAA Airport Master Record for MUE (Form 5010 PDF). Federal Aviation Administration. Effective April 5, 2012.
  3. "Waimea-Kohala Airport". Hawaiian Aviation. Retrieved April 13, 2015.
  4. "Mokulele Airlines Flight Schedule" (PDF). Mokulele Airlines. Retrieved June 16, 2016.
  5. "Enplanements for CY 2008" (PDF, 1.0 MB). Federal Aviation Administration. December 18, 2009.
  6. "Enplanements for CY 2010" (PDF, 189 KB). Federal Aviation Administration. October 4, 2011.
  7. "List of NPIAS Airports" (PDF). FAA.gov. Federal Aviation Administration. 21 October 2016. Retrieved 23 December 2016.
  8. "Mokulele Airlines | Affordable Adventure Awaits". Mokulele Airlines | Hawaii's Favorite Island Hopper. Retrieved 2018-07-03.
  9. "Order 2006-12-3: Pacific Wings to provide subsidy-free EAS beginning April 1, 2007". U.S. Department of Transportation. December 7, 2006.
  10. Segal, Dave (May 13, 2013). "Pacific Wings pulling out of Hawaii". Honolulu Star-Advertiser. Retrieved May 14, 2013.
  11. "Mokulele Airlines wins federal contract to serve Hawaii's Waimea airport". Pacific Business News. July 10, 2013. Retrieved July 12, 2013.
  12. "Mokulele Airlines begins flights to Waimea". Hawaii News Now. September 21, 2013. Retrieved September 25, 2013.
  13. http://www.timetableimages.com, April 25, 1966 Hawaiian Airlines system timetable
  14. http://www.timetableimages.com, June 14, 1968 Aloha Airlines system timetable
  15. Feb. 1, 1976 Official Airline Guide (OAG), Kamuela flight schedules
  16. http://www.departedflights.com, June 6, 1981 Hawaiian Airlines timetable

Other sources
  • Essential Air Service documents (Docket OST-1997-2833) from the U.S. Department of Transportation:
    • Order 2005-3-34: Reselecting Pacific Wings Airlines to provide essential air service (EAS) at Hana, Kalaupapa, and Kamuela, Hawaii, for the period from April 1, 2005, through March 31, 2007, at an annual rate of $1,597,422 for the first year and at an annual rate of $1,501,752 for the second year.
    • Order 2006-12-3: Terminating the carrier-selection proceeding for Essential Air Service at Hana, Kalaupapa, and Kamuela, Hawaii. The incumbent EAS carrier, Pacific Wings, has proposed to continue to provide all three communities' EAS on a subsidy-free basis beginning April 1, 2007.
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