LIHU‘E — A surge in visitors established a new benchmark for Lihu‘e Airport, which ended 2022 with a record number of domestic passenger deplanements.
The passenger count climbed to 910,558 in the 12-month period ended Dec. 31, 2022, according to data compiled by the state Department of Business, Economic Development &Tourism.
The total marked the first time the total passenger count exceeded 900,000 in an annual period. The previous high of 772,705 was set in 2018, followed by 770,934 in 2019, department data showed. Data is subject to revision.
The new high was courtesy of the waves of people, who fancied the Hawaiian Islands in 2022.
“I think the reason you are finding a record number of passenger counts is that this is only domestic passenger counts,” said Carl Bonham, executive director of The Economic Research Organization of the University of Hawai‘i. “So a record would not be a surprise given the U.S. visitors have averaged, statewide, about 10 percent above previous peak levels.”
The new passenger count high came amid a strong finish to the year, as the number of domestic deplanements increased to 75,505 in December 2022 from 70,798 in December 2021. The previous high for the month was 72,001 in December 2019, department data showed.
The most recent December figure also continued a streak in which passenger count totals rose in every month of 2022, when compared with the same period of 2021. The busiest month of 2022 was July, when 96,227 passengers deplaned from domestic flights, followed by June with 95,824 and August at 83,331.
Neighboring islands also posted solid passenger count totals for 2022, with O‘ahu at 5.1 million, Maui at 2.39 million and Hawai‘i Island at 1.16 million. Those figures reflect rounding.
Looking ahead, domestic passenger deplanements were off to a good start in the early days of January with a daily average slightly above 2,500 at Lihu‘e Airport.
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Wyatt Haupt Jr., editor, can be reached at 808-245-0457 or whaupt@thegardenisland.com.
