LIHU‘E — The number of people getting off domestic passenger flights at Lihue Airport was a record total count for the month of February.
A total of 58,270 passengers off-boarded domestic flights in February, compared with 55,966 in February 2023, according to data compiled by the state of Hawai‘i’s Department of Business, Economic Development &Tourism. That marked an increase of 4.11 percent in the period.
However, the passenger count benefited from a leap year; a year in the Gregorian calendar that has 366 days with the extra day tucked in at the end of February to give the month 29 days instead of 28 days.
The busiest day of the month was Saturday, Feb. 17, when the passenger count measured 2,781. The slowest day of the month was Wednesday, Feb. 14, when the passenger count measured 1,373. The daily average count was 2,009 in February, compared with 1,999 in February 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.
Activity at Lihu‘e Airport is off to a strong start, as the count for the month of January was the highest ever to begin a year. A total of 63,575 passengers off-boarded domestic plane flights in January, compared with the previous high of 62,903 in January 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.
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.
