LIHUE — The domestic passenger count weighed in at its third highest total of the year, as more than 71,000 people flew into Lihue Airport in the penultimate month of summer.
A total of 71,352 people off-boarded flights at the seaside transportation facility in August, compared with 78,648 in August 2023. That marked a decrease of 9.27 percent, according to data compiled by the state of Hawai‘i’s Department of Business, Economic Development & Tourism.
The busiest day last month was on Friday, Aug. 2, when the passenger count measured 3,105.The slowest day last month was on Tuesday, Aug. 27, when the passenger count measured 1,487. The daily average dropped to 2,302 in August from 2,537 in August 2023.
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 retreated 5.20 percent to 552,045 in the eight-month period ended Aug. 31 from 582,347 in the eight-month period ended Aug. 31, 2023.
Of note, the domestic passenger count at Lihue Airport notched its second highest total on record in 2023, despite a year-over-year drop in the number of people getting off flights to the island of Kauai.
The passenger count weighed in at 832,739 for the 12-month period ended Dec. 31, 2023, compared with a record 910,558 for the 12-month period ended Dec. 31, 2022. That marked a decrease of 8.54 percent in the period.
