LIHUE — Island Air will be resuming flights to Kauai, officials confirmed Wednesday. The airline, which was bought earlier this month by PacifiCap, a local investment firm, will be offering six daily round-trip flights between Honolulu and Kauai starting March
LIHUE — Island Air will be resuming flights to Kauai, officials confirmed Wednesday.
The airline, which was bought earlier this month by PacifiCap, a local investment firm, will be offering six daily round-trip flights between Honolulu and Kauai starting March 15.
“We couldn’t think of a more fitting way to demonstrate our new direction and commitment to create a strong second airline for Hawaii than to restore service to Kauai and offer local residents and visitors an even greater choice in air travel,” said Island Air CEO Dave Pflieger.
The return to Lihue will benefit Kauai because it will offer more jobs and will benefit travelers by offering more seats and flight options for interisland travel, Island Air officials said.
“Recognizing that for many local people interisland travel is a necessity and not a luxury, this is an important first step in our mission to benefit our local community in Hawaii by providing more seat availability and more options for interisland travel,” said Jeffrey Au, founder of PacifiCap.
As part of a “welcome back” fare sale, which starts today, one-way flights to or from Kauai will start at $63. The deal ends Sunday and travel must be between March 15 and May 31, according to the release.
“Island Air’s return to Kauai with service between Lihue and Honolulu is great news,” said Kauai Mayor Bernard Carvalho, Jr. “This will create local jobs and contribute to our local economy as well as provide another interisland travel option for our residents and visitors.”
The airline used to operate on Kauai. But citing a record loss of $21 million in 2014 and stiff competition, the airline discontinued service last year. That left Hawaiian Airlines as the only major interisland passenger carrier operating at the Lihue Airport.
Island Air’s previous owners, Larry Ellison’s Ohana Airline Holdings, will continue to be a shareholder in the company.
The transition of ownership is subject to approval by the U.S. Department of Transportation. The transition is being overseen by Au, Pflieger and former Island Air Executive Les Murashige.
“Having grown up on Kauai and returning home often to visit family, I deeply appreciate the importance of having access to interisland travel options,” Mursahige said.
