Hawaiian carrier Island Air has resumed flights from Honolulu to Kona after a four-year hiatus and plans to add more aircraft to its fleet to continue expansion.
"In March we expanded to Kauai, and today is another step forward for Island Air and all of our people," said the company’s president and CEO David Uchiyama.
It was the first flight of five daily departures to Kona for the airline which was recently bought out byy a Hawaii based investors.
It has been warmly welcomed by tourism leaders convinced there is demand to sustain the service.
"Adding another interisland access is going to bump us up to the next level. There’s definitely enough market to go around. The exciting thing is knowing we have the demand," said Ross Birch, executive director of the Big Island Visitors Bureau.
The carrier will add two new aircraft later this year to its current fleet of five 64-seater ATR-72 planes to boost frequencies and possibly add new routes.
It currently offers more than 200 flights a week linking Oahu, Maui, Kauai and Hawaii Island.
The new Kona route is running at about 65% capacity based on current bookings, Uchiyama said.
