LIHU‘E — The new Lihu‘e Airport Master Plan appears set for a rocky landing, as public opposition mounts against the long-term development strategy.
Lihu‘e Airport’s current master plan was published in 1989.
Its replacement, slated for completion sometime this summer, is built on forecasts estimating airport activity levels could multiply over the next 20 years.
The projected increase in activity, and proposed expansions to accommodate it, have raised red flags among community members concerned by over-tourism.
“I am all for safety concerns. Helping the customer get to and from the parking (lot) is an issue. Yes, I agree,” said resident Rebecca Cameron.
“But to have 1 million more annual passengers arriving … Maybe safety, maybe more parking, but we don’t need four more huge terminals.”
Cameron was speaking at a public informational meeting hosted by the state Department of Transportation Airports Division at the Lihu‘e Public Library last week.
About 1.7 million passengers and 27,400 air-carrier operations were recorded in and out of Lihu‘e Airport in 2018.
Forecasts indicate between 2.2 and 2.7 million passengers, and nearly 35,500 air-carrier operations, could pass through the airport in 2038.
Cameron’s concerns were shared by other residents who addressed planners in person or via the live-streamed event’s online comments section.
“Wala‘au” television host, former Kaua‘i County councilmember and part-time airport employee Dickie Chang was among those in the library on May 17.
Chang described Lihu‘e Airport as understaffed and in need of repairs and improvements, but not expansion at this time.
“We need to take care of everything infrastructurally,” he told The Garden Island in a subsequent phone call. “Before we do what they’re planning to do, we need to be able to get people through the gates efficiently.”
A Change.org petition called “Say NO to expansion of Lihu‘e airport” was created days after the DOT’s public meeting.
The language of the petition, which had 2,337 signatures at press time, suggests an airport expansion will create increased visitor numbers.
But personnel behind the master plan are adamant that’s not the case.
“It’s not, ‘If you build it they will come,’” project manager Ryan Lenda, of consulting firm Ricondo &Associates, said last week.
“An airport master plan provides a plan to make sure that the airport is of sufficient capacity — if that capacity does come.”
Designers are now considering four draft alternatives for the Lihu‘e Airport Master Plan, all of which are subject to change before one is selected to continue.
While the draft alternatives are distinct, each illustrates an expanded airport terminal and parking availability.
The drafts also share identical changes to the airfield’s taxiway locations, to bring them in line with current Federal Aviation Administration safety recommendations.
Senior planner Herman Tuiolosega, of the DOT Airports Division, assured attendees their input is considered — but the master plan must be developed to accommodate forecast demand.
“The state cannot stop airlines from coming. So, (even) if we don’t have the gates, if they want to schedule the flights, they can go and everybody will be uncomfortable,” he said at the library.
“We need to address this because the airport is mandated to provide transportation, and there are always rules and guidelines that we have to abide by,” Tuiolosega added later in the night. “So, I hear what the community is saying, and we do try to address that. But we have to have something.”
Airport master plans are usually updated every 20 years, according to Tuiolosega.
That’s because the process is expensive, he said, noting even more time has passed since Lihu‘e’s last update.
Like Lenda, Tuiolosega and other planners, Ricondo &Associates Director Uva Yvan described the Lihu‘e Airport Master Plan as a routine road map.
Aspects of the final master plan may be constructed incrementally, depending on need and funding availability, she claimed.
“PAL (Passenger Activity Level) 3 is by no means going to be built in the next year or so,” Yvan said, referring to metrics that guide airport development projects.
Tuiolosega argued even incremental expansions are not guaranteed when the master plan is finished.
“We may not even get there,” he said. “But we have to have a plan to follow, so we’re not just stomping around.”
The DOT and its project partners will schedule a final public meeting in conjunction with the master plan’s completion sometime later this year.
w Info: lihmasterplan.com
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Scott Yunker, reporter, can be reached at 245-0437 or syunker@thegardenisland.com.
