Lihu‘e Airport starts year on a strong note

LIHU‘E — The number of passengers getting off domestic plane flights at Lihu‘e Airport last month was the highest ever to begin an annual period at the transportation facility.

A total of 63,893 passengers off-boarded domestic plane flights in January, compared with the previous high of 62,903 in January 2023, according to data compiled by the state of Hawai‘i’s Department of Business, Economic Development &Tourism.

That marked a gain of 1.57 percent in the period, in which Kaua‘i was also the only one of the four major islands in Hawai‘i to post an increase in the domestic passenger count, the data showed.

The busiest day of the month was Jan. 2, in which 2,819 passengers off-boarded flights at Lihu‘e Airport. The slowest day was Jan. 9, in which 1,469 passengers off-boarded flights.

The count only includes passengers from direct domestic flights, including Kaua‘i residents returning home, and excludes the thousands of visitors who arrive by inter-island air each month.

That means visitors who arrive from neighboring islands aren’t accounted for in the domestic deplanement total even if their flight originated in the Lower 48, nor are passengers on flights from Canada.

Of note, the domestic passenger count at Lihu‘e Airport notched its second highest total on record in 2023, despite a year-over-year drop in the number of people getting off those flights to the island of Kaua‘i.

The passenger count weighed in at 832,739 for the 12-month period ended Dec. 31, 2023, compared with 910,558 for the 12-month period ended Dec. 31, 2022. That marked a decrease of 8.54 percent in the period.