LIHU‘E — The number of people getting off domestic flights at Lihu‘e Airport dropped to its lowest total in three years for the month of May, as arrivals continued to lag behind last year’s pace.
A total of 65,859 passengers off-boarded domestic flights in May, compared with 73,980 in May 2023, according to data compiled by the state of Hawai‘i’s Department of Business, Economic Development &Tourism. That marked a decrease of 10.97 percent in the period.
The busiest day last month was on Friday, May 24, when the passenger count measured 2,924. The slowest day of the month was Tuesday, May 14, when the passenger count was 1,565.
The count only includes passengers from direct domestic flights, including Kaua‘i residents returning home, and excludes the thousands of visitors who arrive by inter-island air each month.
That means visitors who arrive from neighboring islands aren’t accounted for in the domestic deplanement total even if their flight originated in the Lower 48, nor are passengers on flights from Canada.
All told, the passenger count decreased 7.56 percent to 313,222 in the five-month period ended May 31 from 338,860 in the five-month period ended May 31, 2023.
Of note, the domestic passenger count at Lihu‘e Airport notched its second highest total on record in 2023, despite a year-over-year drop in the number of people getting off those flights to the island of Kaua‘i.
The passenger count weighed in at 832,739 for the 12-month period ended Dec. 31, 2023, compared with 910,558 for the 12-month period ended Dec. 31, 2022. That marked a decrease of 8.54 percent in the period.
