'Hilo International Airport' , formerly 'General Lyman Field', is a public
airport of the
State of Hawai'i in
Hawai'i County two miles east of the unincorporated city of
Hilo. Most flights to Hilo International Airport are from
Honolulu International Airport by the four major Hawai'i-based carriers:
Aloha Airlines,
Hawaiian Airlines,
Island Air, and
Pacific Wings.
ATA Airlines provides daily non-stop service from
Oakland, California to Hilo aboard its
Boeing 737-800 aircraft, re-establishing direct service from the mainland to Hilo for the first time since 1986.
Facilities
Hilo International Airport is served by two runways, Runway 8/26 and Runway 3/21. Runway 8/26 is 9,800 feet long and is used for major air carrier operations including the take-off and landing of major commercial jetliners. Runway 3/21 is 5,600 feet long and is used for general aviation operations including take-off and landing of smaller commuter airplanes.
The passenger terminal complex, including commuter facilities, is at the southern edge of Hilo International Airport and is served by an access roadway from
Kekuanaoa Avenue, between the passenger terminal complex and the Runway 3/21 to the west. General aviation facilities are located along the eastern edge of Runway 3/21, also served by the terminal access roadway. A parking apron for transient military aircraft is provided at the western edge of the runway. Air cargo facilities are located along Operations Street on the west side of Runway 3/21, site of the old passenger terminals from 1953 to 1975.
Airlines, terminals and destinations
Main Passenger Terminal (Gates 3-9)
The main passenger terminal has seven jet bridges and serves all major passenger airlines. All flights operated by Mokulele Airlines depart and arrive from the commuter terminal. Each airline is assigned one gate; Gates 7 and 9 are currently unused.
'Gate 3'
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ATA Airlines (Oakland)
'Gate 4'
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Hawaiian Airlines (Honolulu, Kahului, Kona)
'Gate 5'
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Mesa Airlines
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go! operated by
Mesa Airlines (Honolulu)
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go!Express operated by
Mokulele Airlines (Kahului)
'Gate 6'
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Aloha Airlines (Honolulu)
'Gate 8'
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Island Air (Honolulu, Kahului, Kona)
Commuter Terminal
The commuter terminal handles the operations of Mokulele Airlines and Pacific Wings.
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Mokulele Airlines (Kahului)
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Pacific Wings (Hana)
Disasters

Aloha Airlines Flight 243 from Hilo to Honolulu landed at Kahului Airport in 1988 after its fuselage was torn away during the flight. A flight attendant was sucked out of the plane and killed.
Hilo International Airport was involved in one major air traffic incident that had caused air traffic controlers and its federal emergency officials to be on emergency special alert.
On
April 28,
1988, an Aloha Airlines
Boeing 737 operating
Flight 243 from General Lyman Field (as Hilo International Airport was known then) to Honolulu International Airport carrying 89 passengers and 6 crew members experienced rapid decompression when an 18 feet section of the fuselage roof and sides were torn from the airplane. One flight attendant was sucked out of the airplane and died. Several passengers sustained life-threatening injuries including instances of massive head wounds. The aircraft declared an emergency and landed at
Kahului Airport on
Maui with slight difficulty.
Investigations of the disaster concluded that the accident was caused by metal fatigue. The disaster caused almost all major United States air carriers to retire their oldest airplane models.
References
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External links
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Hawaii DOT page for Hilo International Airport
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