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Waimea–Kohala Airport

Coordinates: 20°00′05″N 155°40′05″W / 20.00139°N 155.66806°W / 20.00139; -155.66806
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Waimea-Kohala Airport

Kahua Mokulele o Waimea-Kohala
Summary
Airport typePublic
Owner/OperatorHawaii Department of Transportation
ServesKamuela, Hawaii
Elevation AMSL2,671 ft / 814 m
Coordinates20°00′05″N 155°40′05″W / 20.00139°N 155.66806°W / 20.00139; -155.66806
Websitehawaii.gov/mue
Map
MUE is located in Hawaii (island)
MUE
MUE
Location of airport in Hawaii
MUE is located in Hawaii
MUE
MUE
MUE (Hawaii)
Map
Runways
Direction Length Surface
ft m
4/22 5,197 1,584 Asphalt
Statistics
Aircraft operations (2016)4,178
Based aircraft (2022)4

Waimea-Kohala Airport (IATA: MUE, ICAO: PHMU, FAA LID: MUE) is a state-owned public-use airport located one nautical mile (1.2 mi; 1.9 km) southwest of Waimea, an unincorporated town in Hawaii County, Hawaii, United States.

Hawaiian Airlines began scheduled passenger service from the airport in November 1953.[3] As of 2016, the only scheduled air service is by Mokulele Airlines, which offers twice daily service to Kahului, Maui.[4]

It is included in the Federal Aviation Administration National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2021–2025, in which it is categorized as a non-primary commercial service facility.[5]

Facilities and aircraft

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Waimea-Kohala Airport covers an area of 90 acres (36 ha) at an elevation of 2,671 feet (814 m) above mean sea level. It has one runway designated 4/22 with an asphalt surface measuring 5,197 by 100 feet (1,584 by 30 m).[2]

The airport has one taxiway and an aircraft parking apron at the west end of the runway serving the passenger terminal and general aviation facilities. No fueling or airport traffic control tower facilities are provided. An aircraft rescue and fire fighting facility shares space in the airport maintenance facility.

For the 12-month period ending June 30, 2016, the airport had 4,178 aircraft operations, an average of 11 per day: 57% air taxi, 31% general aviation and 12% military. In April 2022, there were 4 aircraft based at this airport: 2 single-engine and 2 multi-engine.[2]


Annual passenger traffic at MUE airport. See Wikidata query.

Airline and destinations

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AirlinesDestinations
Mokulele Airlines Kahului, Kailua-Kona[6]

Mokulele Airlines serves the airport with Cessna 208EX Grand Caravan commuter turboprop aircraft.[7]

Previously, Pacific Wings operated service to Honolulu and Kahului. Originally subsidized by the Essential Air Service program, Pacific Wings began serving Waimea-Kohala without subsidy on April 1, 2007.[8] By May 2013, when reports emerged the airline was ending all service in Hawaii, the airline had already ceased serving Waimea-Kohala Airport.[9] Mokulele Airlines, Schuman Aviation, and Pacific Wings submitted bids to the DOT to provide service at the airport, however only Mokulele and Schuman have proposed actual flights—Pacific Wings suggested two buses a day to Kona. On July 2, 2013, the US DOT awarded the contract to Mokulele Airlines for service to Kahului.[10] Mokulele began operating flights to Waimea-Kohala on September 21, 2013.[11]

Historical airline service

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The airport previously had scheduled passenger jet service operated by Aloha Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines, both of which referred to the airport as Kamuela in their respective system timetables during the 1960s. In 1966, Hawaiian Airlines was operating a daily Douglas DC-9-10 jet flight with a routing of Hilo (ITO) - Kamuela (MUE) - Kahului, Maui (OGG) - Honolulu (HNL) and was also serving the airport with Convair 640 turboprops on flights to Honolulu, Maui and Kona at this time.[12] In 1968, Aloha Airlines was flying daily British Aircraft Corporation BAC One-Eleven jet service with a routing of Kamuela (MUE) - Kahului, Maui (OGG) - Honolulu (HNL) and was also operating flights with Vickers Viscount turboprops with daily nonstop service from Honolulu with this flight continuing on to Kona (KOA) at this time.[13] In 1976, Hawaiian Airlines was operating daily McDonnell Douglas DC-9-30 jet service into the airport with a round trip routing of HNL-OGG-MUE.[14] By 1981, Hawaiian Airlines was serving the airport with de Havilland Canada DHC-7 Dash 7 turboprops on nonstop flights between Waimea and Kahului, Maui and Honolulu.[15]

Princeville Airways/Aloha Island Air also operated to Kamuela airport in the late 1980s & 1990's

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Waimea-Kohala Airport, Kamuela, Hawaii". Hawaii Department of Transportation. Retrieved August 13, 2010.
  2. ^ a b c FAA Airport Form 5010 for MUE PDF. Federal Aviation Administration. effective April 21, 2022.
  3. ^ "Waimea-Kohala Airport". Hawaiian Aviation. Retrieved April 13, 2015.
  4. ^ "Mokulele Airlines Flight Schedule" (PDF). Mokulele Airlines. Retrieved June 16, 2016.
  5. ^ "List of NPIAS Airports" (PDF). FAA.gov. Federal Aviation Administration. 21 October 2016. Retrieved 23 December 2016.
  6. ^ "Mokulele Adds Kona – Waimea Service From Oct 2024". Aeroroutes. Retrieved 4 September 2024.
  7. ^ "Mokulele Airlines | Affordable Adventure Awaits". Mokulele Airlines | Hawaii's Favorite Island Hopper. Retrieved 2018-07-03.
  8. ^ "Order 2006-12-3: Pacific Wings to provide subsidy-free EAS beginning April 1, 2007". U.S. Department of Transportation. December 7, 2006.
  9. ^ Segal, Dave (May 13, 2013). "Pacific Wings pulling out of Hawaii". Honolulu Star-Advertiser. Retrieved May 14, 2013.
  10. ^ "Mokulele Airlines wins federal contract to serve Hawaii's Waimea airport". Pacific Business News. July 10, 2013. Retrieved July 12, 2013.
  11. ^ "Mokulele Airlines begins flights to Waimea". Hawaii News Now. September 21, 2013. Retrieved September 25, 2013.
  12. ^ http://www.timetableimages.com, April 25, 1966 Hawaiian Airlines system timetable
  13. ^ http://www.timetableimages.com, June 14, 1968 Aloha Airlines system timetable
  14. ^ Feb. 1, 1976 Official Airline Guide (OAG), Kamuela flight schedules
  15. ^ http://www.departedflights.com, June 6, 1981 Hawaiian Airlines timetable

Other sources

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  • Essential Air Service documents (Docket OST-1997-2833) from the U.S. Department of Transportation:
    • Order 2005-3-34: Reselecting Pacific Wings Airlines to provide essential air service (EAS) at Hana, Kalaupapa, and Kamuela, Hawaii, for the period from April 1, 2005, through March 31, 2007, at an annual rate of $1,597,422 for the first year and at an annual rate of $1,501,752 for the second year.
    • Order 2006-12-3: Terminating the carrier-selection proceeding for Essential Air Service at Hana, Kalaupapa, and Kamuela, Hawaii. The incumbent EAS carrier, Pacific Wings, has proposed to continue to provide all three communities' EAS on a subsidy-free basis beginning April 1, 2007.
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