State Department of Transportation Airports Division officials have ostensibly dedicated $6 million to improve the heliport facilities at Lihu‘e Airport’s heliport, according to Scott Ishikawa, DOT spokesman. But local helicopter-tour operators say they’ve gone round and round with DOT leaders
State Department of Transportation Airports Division officials have ostensibly dedicated $6 million to improve the heliport facilities at Lihu‘e Airport’s heliport, according to Scott Ishikawa, DOT spokesman.
But local helicopter-tour operators say they’ve gone round and round with DOT leaders for nearly two decades, including litigation, with not much to show for it.
An April 15 meeting involving officials from the DOT and eight local helicopter tour operators apparently didn’t do much to clear up longstanding issues between the two.
“Every year or so, they call us together without asking our input,” said Charles DiPiazza, owner of Air Kauai Helicopters.
“They promised us nothing,” he said.
DiPiazza and other operators said a lack of clarity from the DOT was nothing new.
“We have less-than-adequate facilities,” DiPiazza said, referring to a lack of infrastructure and absence of amenities. Portable toilets, opensided tarp tents under which to conduct mandatory passenger-safety briefings, and makeshift hangar facilities are some of the “amenities.”
DiPiazza’s is one of two companies with offices at the Lihu‘e facility.
Ishikawa said state officials hope the $6 million heliport improvement project will address some of those needs.
“We can’t change what happened in the past, but we are looking to make improvements,” he said.
DiPiazza said that rental-car operators, United Parcel Service (UPS) officials and other concessionaires at the airport have long-term leases and superior facilities, including parking and toilets, while leaders of helicopter companies operate on 30-day, revocable permits, in spite of their million-dollar-plus inventory and the tourism money, taxes and employment they generate and contribute to the local economy.
State airport officials on Maui provide long-term leases for owners of helicopter companies, giving them the opportunity to expand their businesses, said one veteran operator.
Several tour operators have been in business on Kaua‘i for more than 20 years.
Ishikawa said the project also calls for the realignment of the south portion of Ahukini Road to allow for additional lease lots. The DOT Airports Division officials will provide water, electricity, sewer and telecommunications lines to the property lines of each lease lot, he added.
The current project, as it stands, will include helicopter pads for nine helicopter operators.
There are 20 helipads currently available at the Lihu‘e heliport, and of those, six are not used.
Adding more helipads was one topic at the April 15 meeting. But operators wondered why DOT officials would add more pads when six are not being utilized.
Ishikawa said adding more pads was a proactive measure, in anticipation of more business.
Local helicopter operators said the construction of more pads would impact sight lines and change flight patterns, forcing pilots to loop out over the Kauai Judiciary complex.
Ishikawa said leaders at Blue Hawaiian Helicopters, a Maui-based tour operator which began regular on-island flights on Kaua‘i in March, had not been given any preferential treatment, and did not jump to the top of any waiting list for helipad usage when leaders of other local companies with more seniority have been waiting their turn, some for years.
Ishikawa said the wait list was canceled because the state was moving toward making improvements.
He also pointed out that these spaces would have been pursuant to a 30-day permit. Blue Hawaiian only has a transient, day-to-day permit, which is not the same as the other long-time permit holders.
According to DOT officials, it is likely the transient areas will be phased out before the 30-day permit areas.
On legal advice, state officials canceled maintenance of the waiting list while the whole issue of who gets access to a limited number of available helicopter tenant sites was under litigation, Ishikawa explained.
This litigation was initiated in 1989 by leaders of South Sea Helicopters. South Sea officials were seeking long-term leases.
The suit was dismissed in December, 2004.
Ishikawa said DOT leaders were also in the process of updating the heliport to current Federal Aviation Authority standards.
This includes increasing the width of the parking pads from 62.5 feet to 70 feet. Local operators want the distance extended to 75.5 feet.
Preston Myers, owner of Safari Helicopters, said his main concern was safety, both as it pertained to the distance between the pads and in takeoffs and landings, especially in light of any possible flight-path changes.
Ishikawa said DOT leaders would take Myers’ suggestions under advisement, and would be back in touch with operators within a month or two.
The existing interim helicopter facility was constructed in the early 1990s in order to separate the helicopters and airplanes operating in the vicinity of runway 3-21, according to Ishikawa.
Much-needed support facilities such as hangars and maintenance were not considered at the time, since a permanent facility was planned at an inland site.
According to DOT officials, the proposed inland site was deferred indefinitely due to a number of issues, including funding, land acquisition and environmental considerations.
Ishikawa said DOT leaders propose to construct a 12-stall parking lot for each tenant, plus a 51-stall overflow lot.
