| 1911 |
Big Islanders got their
first chance to see an airplane in action on June 10 when
Clarence H. Walter flew his biplane from Honolulu to Hilo.
To add to the excitement, Walker crashed into a lauhala
tree while attempting to land, but walked away from the
crash. |
| 1919 |
Official air mail goes
from Honolulu to Hilo in Army planes beginning in July. |
| 1925 |
One hundred acres of land
and $10,000 were set aside for construction of Hilo
Airport. |
| 1928 |
Hilo Airport was
dedicated on February 11. |
| 1929 |
Commercial interisland
air service was started on November 11 by Inter-Island
Airways (now Hawaiian Air) with two Sikorsky Amphibians,
the "Hawaii" and "Maui." The inaugural
flight was from Honolulu to Hilo, landing at Maui en
route. |
| 1934 |
Inter-Island Airways was
awarded an airmail contract. |
| 1935 |
Scheduled air mail and
passenger service across the Pacific begins. |
| 1937 |
An airport development
program begins for Hilo Airport. |
| 1941 |
A 300-foot graded and
oiled airstrip, Bordelon Field, was built near Kamuela by
the Marine Corps on land belong to Parker Ranch.
All territorial airports were taken
over by the military on December 7. |
| 1943 |
The name of Hilo Airport
was changed to Lyman Field on April 19. |
| 1947 |
The Legislature
recognized a need for an airport in Kailua-Kona and
determined that the only suitable area is Kailua airstrip,
previously used for small aircraft operations. |
| 1948 |
Bids are opened in May
for construction of a runway at Kona Airport. Work on the
runway begins on June 10. |
| 1949 |
A bid of $27,234 is
accepted for construction of a terminal building at Kona
Airport on March 12. Construction begins on April 1.
Opening ceremonies are held on July 10. |
| 1950 |
Bordelon Field is deemed
unsuitable for development as a modern airport. Studies
begin for a location for a new Kamuela Airport.
To keep cattle off the operating
area at Kona Airport, approximately 5,000 feet of fencing
is installed in May. |
| 1951 |
Main entrances and
access improvements are completed at General Lyman Field
in April. |
| 1952 |
Runway, water main and
fencing construction is started on a new airport in
Kamuela on February 20.
Ground is broke for a new General
Lyman Field terminal in July. |
| 1953 |
Construction of a
passenger and freight terminal began in April at Kamuela
Airport.
Scheduled air service to Kamuela
Airport began with three flights weekly on July 2.
Dedication ceremonies for the new
Kamuela Airport were held on August 30.
The terminal building at General
Lyman Field was dedicated on December 5. |
| 1963 |
The first phase of a new
jet runway at General Lyman Field was completed on April
24. |
| 1964 |
A near-catastrophe occurs
at General Lyman Field on February 13. After landing, an
Inter-Island aircraft rolled off the end of the runway,
across a road, and into a ditch, causing minor injuries to
the passengers and a wrecked airplane. |
| 1965 |
The new jet runway at
General Lyman Field was dedicated on March 6. |
| 1967 |
Commercial direct
scheduled flights began between the Mainland and General
Lyman Field on October 1. |
| 1968 |
The Department of
Transportation assumed full responsibility for all state
airport projects.
Work began on a temporary overseas
building at General Lyman Field in November. |
| 1969 |
Kamuela Airport was
renamed Waimea-Kohala Airport.
Ceremonial charges of dynamite
signaled the started of work for the new Keahole Airport
in West Hawaii on May 27. The new airport will replace
Kailua-Kona Airport which is located 7 ½ miles north.
The overseas "interim"
terminal at General Lyman Field was dedicated on July 4.
This terminal was built to be used temporarily, until the
permanent overseas/interisland terminal is built. |
| 1970 |
Keahole Airport was
dedicated on July 1, replacing Kona Airport at Kailua. |
| 1971 |
A 747 jumbo jet landed at
General Lyman Field for the first time on February 6.
The FAA’s Control Tower at Keahole Airport was dedicated on April 21. The tower
became fully operative on May 1.
The FAA bestowed a Beautification award on Ke-ahole Airport on May 6. |
| 1972 |
Additions and alterations
to the passenger terminal lobby at Waimea-Kohala are
completed. |
| 1974 |
Fencing is installed at
General Lyman Field and Waimea-Kohala Airport in
compliance with FAA requirements. |
| 1975 |
Phase I of the
construction of a new passenger terminal at General Lyman
Field is completed and Phase II begins.
Lighting improvements are completed
in August at Upolu Airport. |
| 1976 |
The new passenger
terminal, equipped with flight information displays,
signs, and new furniture, was dedicated at General Lyman
Field on April 30. The old terminal remained in service to
enhance the capacity of the field. |
| 1979 |
The FAA Air Traffic
Control Tower was built at General Lyman Field. |
| 1983 |
United Airlines began
direct flights to Keahole Airport on September 7. |
| 1985 |
The site development was
completed for extended roads and utilities at Keahole.
A new maintenance facility was
constructed at Keahole.
Keahole Airport was awarded the
first Hawaiian Architectural Arts Award by the State
Foundation on Culture and the Arts.
Improvements to the South ramp apron
and taxiway were constructed at Keahole.
New air cargo and T-Hangar
facilities were constructed at Keahole.
A new emergency generator and
airport beacon were installed at General Lyman Field to
power taxiway lights for greater aircraft convenience in
September. |
| 1986 |
North ramp apron and
taxiways were constructed at Keahole. |
| 1987 |
The Master Plan for
Keahole Airport was completed in December, and focused on
the development of the airport for expanded overseas
activity.
Updating of the Master Plan for
General Lyman Field was started. The long range plan
includes improvements to cargo buildings, in addition to a
site for irradiation facilities.
Direct overseas flights to General
Lyman Field ceased in 1987. Today, Hilo only receives
Interisland flights. |
| 1988 |
Design began for
expansion of the terminal at Keahole by three gates,
increase parking and lengthen the runway from 6,500 feet
to 9,500 feet.
On January 13, an electrical short
circuit caused a fire in the passenger terminal building
at Waimea-Kohala Airport. Damage was estimated at $100,000
and was confined to the ticket counter area. Passenger
service was moved to the baggage claim area and continued
without interruption.
Design work for the Col. Elison
Onizuka Memorial at Keahole Airport was begun with a
$75,000 appropriation from the Legislature.
Construction began to expand the
South Ramp and ground transportation lease lots at Keahole
in August. This includes adding more parking and
enlarging the cargo apron. The 12 existing U-drive lots
were enlarged and six new lots were added. |
| 1989 |
General Lyman Field was
renamed Hilo International Airport in May. |
| 1990 |
The Elison Onizuka
Memorial was dedicated in December at Keahole Airport.
Four lei stands, a gift shop and a
Visitor Information display area were added to Keahole
Airport. |
| 1991 |
Construction on
additional renovations to the Keahole Airport terminal
began in June. These included converting the old Aloha
Airlines Cargo building into office and storage space for
airport tenants and installing a new mechanical baggage
claim device. |
| 1992 |
A new $1.5 million cargo
building was opened at Keahole Airport. The renovated
ground transportation facility went into operation in
June.
A temporary commuter terminal
consisting of two 1,500 square-foot trailers went into use
at Keahole, providing offices, customer service counters
and a public waiting area.
Also completed at Keahole was a new
Civil Air Patrol hangar which includes provisions for
future offices. |
| 1993 |
The name of Keahole
Airport was changed on April 26 to Keahole-Kona
International Airport.
Construction was completed on a new
Airport Rescue and Fire Fighting Training Facility at
General Lyman Field in November. |
| 1994 |
Completion of the
runway/taxiway overlay at Keahole Airport.
The Runway 17-35 extension, which
increases the runway to 11,000 feet, and will allow fully
loaded wide body aircraft to take off from Keahole fully
loaded, was dedicated on February 4. This is the longest
Neighbor Island runway in the state.
A Cargolus B-747 was the first
long-range flight to Keahole, arriving from Europe on
February 14. It carried equipment for filming of a movie.
Mainland wide body service began in March.
Work began on December 5 on the
Terminal Improvements, Phase I, at Keahole to expand the
gate/hold areas and construct a baggage claim unit at
Terminal 1.
Work also began at Keahole to widen
the peripheral road from three to five lanes, expand the
parking lot by 150 stalls, provide new landscaping at the
north and south ends of the parking lots.
Completion of new general aviation
facilities, including eight new T-hangars, was
accomplished at General Lyman Field. |
| 1996 |
An Interim Federal
Inspection Service Facility opened at Keahole-Kona
International Airport in March 1996. The facility is
needed for inspection of international flights by various
federal agencies.
International flights to
Keahole-Kona from Japan began on June 2.
Terminal improvements, Phase 1, and
the peripheral roads were completed at Keahole. |
| 1997 |
Work began on the
Terminal Improvements, Phase II, at Keahole in April. Work
includes apron lighting, security improvements and
enlargement of the passenger waiting area.
Keahole Kona International Airport
was renamed Kona International Airport at Keahole on June
16. |
| 1998 |
Phase II improvements at
Kona International Airport were completed in June. Work
began on Phase III improvements, in September. |
| 1999 |
The theme for cultural
emphasis for Kona International is one based on King
Kamehameha I. The theme for Hilo International is Pele:
The Fire Goddess. The themes will be implemented
throughout the airports. |
